Serene Assir looks at the current situation of immigrants in Spain A couple of years ago, a popular, long-running television series titled Cuéntame (Tell Me) which depicted the life of a fictional yet typical middle- class Spanish family living at the end of the 1960s under Franco's regime, ran an episode in which the father and head of the household considered moving to Argentina. There, he told his wife and children, they would be able to live well, while he would earn more money and have a more dignified job. For until the 1980s, Spain was a country of emigrants -- the economic and social conditions for the vast majority of the population were difficult to withstand, and political pressures meant that nothing could be done on a street level to change anything. In Latin America, however, economies were flourishing, and hundreds of thousands of Spaniards would move west, in search of freedom and an improvement in their standards of living. Now, of course, the reverse is true. Given Spain's strategic location as the entry-point into Europe from Africa, and given the cultural and linguistic links with Latin America, for immigrants from both continents the Mediterranean country is often the natural destination of choice -- though often it is also perceived as the route to wealthier northern European countries such as France or Britain. There are also an increasing number of immigrants arriving from Eastern Europe, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and the Middle East. In short, migration into Spain is occurring from most areas of the world, and it is no longer uncommon for a single block in many areas of Madrid or Barcelona to host inhabitants of a dozen origins. And over one million live in Spain illegally, with no access to education, health, or the decent jobs that the vast majority came in search of. Many endure extremely perilous conditions in order to enter Spain. The cases of immigrants arriving from North Africa by patera (raft) are well known -- though it remains impossible to estimate how many arrive per year. Just last week, a raft was found off the northern coast of Morocco carrying the corpses of 12 people who were on their way to Spain -- including those of six babies. And now, given that the majority of migrants who arrive in Spain originate from sub- Saharan Africa, countless people cross the Sahara desert on foot in order to cross into the European country. Things do not get any easier, however, once they are in Spain. Many are deported immediately. Thousands of others are held indefinitely in camps strewn across the country, but especially by the coasts. In addition, police working in such camps are given licence to practise methods which are not seen elsewhere in the country, to the degree that last year, just under 300 cases of torture were reported to international human rights organisations. But many do make it into Spain. And for the vast majority, the road to integration is a long one. "The Partido Popular (the conservative, former ruling party) was in power for a very long time," Abu Taj, the Syrian owner of a food shop by the Tetuàn mosque in central Madrid told Al-Ahram Weekly. "You need to bear in mind that they launched a political strategy which no government can reverse over a short period of time. The effect that the party's attitude towards immigrants has had is that racism is now much more deeply ingrained in the Spanish social fabric than ever." "Attacks are regularly reported on women wearing the hijab, whereas this never used to happen before. At the same time, the trend of granting preference to South Americans and Eastern Europeans in the job market is on the rise, given that, culturally, Spanish employers feel they are closer and more trustworthy." Indeed, while manual labour continues to be done, for the large part, by immigrants, there is an increasing tendency to employ Europeans, especially in light of the fact that the European Union's borders are rapidly expanding to include more and more countries that once belonged to the Soviet bloc. Ongoing is a government initiative to grant all workers who have resided in Spain for over a year legal status. On the surface, this seems to provide immigrants with a unique opportunity, available for a limited time frame only, to normalise their status and working conditions. However, the issue is far more complex and splintered. First of all, the immigrant in question needs to be employed -- not so easy a condition to fulfil given that finding work without papers in Spain is filled with endless obstacles, ranging from racism to the unwillingness of potential employers to take on the responsibility of a worker's social security. Secondly, the working immigrant must go and apply for status in person, and stand in long queues for hours. By going he or she therefore risks his job, as it is likely that many employers will be unwilling to let him or her take a day or two off. Added to this difficulty, applicants must be accompanied by their employer at the police station where they are seeking to normalise their status. Only in the case of large companies can proof of employment be presented on paper to the authorities. However, the number of illegal immigrants working with large enterprises is negligible in comparison to that of those working in private homes or small companies. "Added to this," says Basel Ramses, an Egyptian documentary filmmaker living in Madrid, "you have to consider the fact that not all applicants are being accepted. While, at the start of the exercise of normalisation everyone seemed to be very excited, people are now saying that only about 10 per cent of illegal workers will be able to get their papers in order by the deadline." It is also important to remember that this is not the first time a Spanish government launches such an initiative. "Every three or four years this happens -- the state opens its arms to cheap, foreign labour -- only because it needs to," Ramses went on. "If you simply consider the fact that one needs to have been working and residing in Spain for six months, then you realise that the only ones such conditions include are those who work for very little money, only to make ends meet. It by no means invites a new influx, nor does it assist people to enter the true fabric of society. As far as I'm concerned, it's all about market needs -- and it has nothing to do with truly dealing with the phenomenon of immigration." Many, however, are working towards the creation of a more equal and just society. Hundreds of non-governmental organisations have, for example, sprung up over recent years in order to try and help immigrants integrate, by providing free language classes, by helping them find work and, in other cases, offering free legal representation and advice. For example, ATIME -- a Moroccan workers association run by immigrants -- is very active and receives much media attention in the public debate on immigration. However, there remains a gap between the reality of Spanish politics and economics and the frequent accusation of "they're stealing our jobs." It seems that Spain still suffers, at least in part, from a great fear of the other, which renders mainstream political and social life largely inaccessible to the immigrant communities. And, unfortunately, the further they are kept away from the mainstream, the greater the divide becomes. "I've lived here with my family for 36 years -- I was even here when Franco was alive," Abu Taj told the Weekly. "And frankly speaking, things have never been so bad."
