Convivencia

Maria Entrevista

2006-04-10T10:38:00.000+02:00

Maria Entrevista 24.3.06

De donde en Bulgaria vienes?

Mira, la antigua capital de *name Benito Cornova* . Yo vivo a 15 kilometros de *name* , *otro nombre Borno olia Zurita*. Una ciudad más pequeña. Como El Ejido, no? Si, como El Ejido. Ves, que ya la conoces! (risa)

Arjona and Checa

2006-04-10T10:35:00.000+02:00

Arjona and Checa, 1999 “El Asociacionismo inmigrante en Almería: Primer Paso para el reconocimiento social.”

importancia: “marco de apoyo y encuentro para el recién llegado” haggie´s enthusiasm

“ya asentado… consiguen reconocimiento social” 170 the status of the regularized gives them more power in group

“escasa bibliografía” 170

que es ÑODEIMA (Asociación de inmigrantes gambianos en Andalucía) ¿? 171 ASK

“la mayoría de las asociaciones se abonan a un canal donde poder ver partidos de fútbol o noticias de su país de origen, y facilita que los asociados se reúnan en torno a la televisión.” 172 paga la asociación para el canal en el piso en C/ Almería? ASK

su función en “llenar la ausencia de servicios que no cubren las instituciones, a las que no saben acercarse (información, denuncias, apoyo social, etc.)” 172

“ayudas económicas de la Junta de Andalucía”

in GIA, hay VP – no notada

También no el caso: “Los miembros de la Junta Directiva son elegidos democráticamente mediante sufragio de los asociados.” 173 más bien espontáneo …

mejor: “una formula mixta, teniendo mucho que ver el carisma y el liderazgo moral,” 173

“en realidad, el nivel de participación de los colectivos – enasambleas, toma de decisiones, ocupando cargos, participando en las actividades, etc. – en menor que el número de asociados – o simpatizantes – a los que representa.” 173

definición de miembro, socio

3 problems: lugar, gente liberado, recursos financiales

COAG Entrevista

2006-04-10T10:27:00.000+02:00

COAG Entrevista

14.03.2006

Miguel Angeles

“No es algo que un día los inmigrantes llegan al invernadero y les dicen, hoy no.” “No es un día por otro. Es previsible.”

“Marruecos sobre todo ha sido durante muchos años el caballo de batalla en tomate. Establecen unos cupos de importación de tomate, por ejemplo, que perjudican a los productores comunitarios. Porque? Porque, en Marruecos tienen unos costas de producción, de mano de obra, muchas más baratos, no tienen seguridad social, no tienen las mismas obligaciones, no cumplen los mismos requisitos sanitarios que exigen los productos europeas.”

“la Union Europea están dejando entrar..”

“lo que exigimos a la Union Europea es que vale, está muy bien, es lógico que haya liberalización al nivel mundial y con nuestros socios europeos. Pero que todos juguemos con las mismas normas.”

“¿Qué es la integración?” Pablo Pumares Fernández

2006-04-10T10:22:00.000+02:00

Notes de “¿Qué es la integración? Reflexiones sobre el concepto de integración de los inmigrantes.” Pablo Pumares Fernández, en Checa 1998, pp.289-318

“El inmigrante se ve movido en buena medida por el deseo de prosperar, pero para él puede ser suficiente el cambio experimentado con la migración, sin embargo, sus hijos, criados en el país receptor, tienen aspiraciones sociales similares a las de sus compañeros de clase y difícilmente pueden admitir que dicho país le niegue las mismas oportunidades que a éstos. Ellos no son inmigrantes y no se van a adaptar como sus padres para desempeñar el mismo papel.” 292

S.O.S. Racismo

2006-04-10T09:36:00.000+02:00

Apuntos de S.O.S. Racismo. El Ejido Racismo y explotación laboral: Balance un año después (El Ejido Febrero 2000 – Febrero 2001). Barcelona: Icaria, 2001.

“A las ocho de la mañana todos los inmigrantes son pocos. A las ocho de la noche, sobran todos.” Juan Enciso, alcalde de El Ejido 7

Notas de Veiga, El Ejido

2006-04-10T09:30:00.000+02:00

se trata de “población inmigrante, fundamentalmente marroquí” 11

Feb 5,6,7 2000

“…una etnografía sobre la agricultura, el trabajo y la segregación espacial y social de los inmigrantes. … está guiado por unos principios teóricos, en este caso los de la Antropología Económica.”12

activista: “El trabajo que se ofrece no es neutral, está escrito desde el punto de vista de los trabajadores inmigrantes y toma partido claramente por ellos. Esto no quiere decir que no sea objetivo.”12

hace hincapié en “El Ejido como un distrito “agro-industrial” “ 12

“apartamos un poco de las interpretaciones, continuamente repetidas, del mercado segmentado y tratamos descubrir el funcionamiento del trabajo desde otras perspectivas menos trilladas…”12

invocación (absurda) de holocausto: “Este libro ha supuesto una experiencia dolorosa para su autor, pero puede ser útil, sólo sea para que la gente pueda decir “nunca más.”12

anti-capitalist, pro-immigrant and activist bias

UGT Andalucía Secretaria de Migraciones

2006-04-10T09:26:00.000+02:00

UGT Andalucía Secretaria de Migraciones. Estudio Comparativo de las Condiciones Laborales Entre la Población Autóctona e Inmigrante en El Sector Agrícola. Andalucía: UGT Andalucía, 2004.

Historia citada sin denotación:

“Tuvimos durante años personas a las que dimos sitio cerco nuestro. Las pasamos la luz y el agua, e incluso les pasábamos comida. Eran norteafricanos y durante siete años trabajaron y convinieron con la familia. Después de los sucesos del Ejido esas mismas personas vinieron a arrancar las plantas del invernadero. Decían que era que tenían que dar una respuesta colectiva a lo sucedido. Ya no trabajan con nosotros.” 44

sigue:

“Aunque esta circunstancia se sigue dando con inmigrantes irregulares….. en la contratación temporal regular se ha producido una mayor disvinculación y discontinuidad en las relaciones entre agricultor y jornalero. De hecho la estabilidadad/fidelización de trabajador inmigrante al invernadero se ha reducido notablemente. Mientras en la etapa anterior (antes de 2000) las relaciones se prolongaban habitualmente más de 5 años, en el momento actual no suelen pasar de 2 ó 3.”44

“Tú trabajas con tu jefe y no te pregunta ni tu nombre, y no sabe si eres del Senegal o de Guinea. Ti te pones malo, tu jefe no sabe ni tu teléfono para preguntar. Es todo muy frío y despersonalizado.” 45

“El solapamiento de las campañas a través de la rotación de cultivos permite UNA ACTIVIDAD CONTINUADA DURANTE NUEVE MESES.” 45

“”El principal problema es sin duda que hay un déficit importante de mano de obra regularizada, y un exceso de mano de obra irregular.” 47

Azurmendi,“Estampas de El Ejido"

2006-04-10T09:22:00.000+02:00

Notes from Azurmendi, Mikel “Estampas de El Ejido: Un reportaje sobre la integración del inmigrante” Madrid: Taurus, 2001.

“En Roquetas del Mar, algunos agricultores prefieren rumanos y ucranianos sin papeles a los demás inmigrantes debido a que aceptan trabajar incluso por tres mil quinientas pesetas diarias en lugar de las cuatro mil o las cuatro mil quinientas acostumbradas.” 151

“La falta de trabajo no hace sino fomentar la inmoralidad de ciertos inmigrantes.” 151

Francisco, dueño de bar : “Me han hecho mucho daño y no los quiero. Servirles iría en contra de mi persona. Puede que haya alguno que entre y que no me haya hecho nada. Pero yo los trato a todos lo mismos, no los quiero a ninguno…” 63

…no son los inmigrantes los excluidos de este bar ni de otros, sino únicamente lo son los inmigrantes marroquíes. Es decir, unos inmigrantes, unos más de entre toda la masa de inmigrantes, pero eso sí, únicamente ellos son el objeto de muchas actitudes y hechos xenófobos…” 64

“” Antes siempre estaban en grupo, parados, sin caminar como hacemos nosotros. Grupos a docenas por esta calle Almería buscando un sitio donde parar. Pero ahora apenas los hay.” Ese “antes” en oposición al “ahora” me lo ha dicho una amable señora de la inmobiliario a donde yo había entrado a preguntar por los precios de casas y locales de esa zona. Yo quería verificar si eran menos apetecibles que otras zonas en su entorn. El “ante” y el “ahora” de la buena señora son aquí el gozne donde gira aquel febrero del año 2000 de la historia de esta villa.” 68

De ¨Música e interculturalidad

2006-02-01T13:52:00.000+01:00

Asomados al insólito desfile de la inmigración, descubrimos, y nos descubrimos, ante lo que, por ajeno, acaba por sernos propio, aún más que lo propio. Aceptar a nuestro vecino - el hecho diferencial - conocer al otro...construir un espacio de convivencia... por donde antes se hablaba de ¨multiculturalidad¨y de ¨fusión de cultruas,¨de de sus contrarios, äculturación´ y ¨pureza étnica´ hoy se habla de ¨interculturalidad¨y de ¨mestizaje¨.... La nueva cultura de la interculturalidad busca un punto de encuentro entre los disintos y lo halla en el lenguaje universal de la música. 10

Undocumented in Belgium

2006-01-11T22:24:00.000+01:00

Article suggests any similarities to Spain.

Notes from "Multiculturalidad e inmigración"

2006-01-09T13:15:00.000+01:00

See comments

Think of England

2006-01-09T13:02:00.000+01:00

Report: 1 out of every 5 births to immigrant parents.

touch of grey

2006-01-09T12:52:00.000+01:00

A commentary from Ghana as to why immigration isn´t always the answer.

Denmark´s Cartoons

2006-01-09T12:41:00.000+01:00

Something rotten here?

NOTES DE CLAVIJO Y AGUIRRE

2005-12-30T13:57:00.000+01:00

Notes Politicas sociales y Estado de Bienestar en Espana: Las Migraciones

bienestar y immigracio’n coeta’neos

“Una primera cuestio’n a plantearse en este apartado es: en que’ forma y grado son los inmigrantes sjetos reconocidos activos, potenciales, del Estado de bienestar? … Son los inmigrantes sujetos del Estado de bienestar en igualidad de condiciones con los auto’ctones? Y quie’nes lo son, los regulares y los irregurlares o solo los primeros? 18

“El proceso politi’ticode constitucio’n de la Unio’n Europea ha trastocado y hecho ma’s complejo el viejo binomio nacional/extranjero, cambia’ndolo por una tipologi’a tripartita: nacional/nacional de pai’s comunitario/ nacional de terceros paises…” 19 à mas extranjero/immigrant binario

“..different autores … ha senyalado la necesidad de desvincular dos principios o estatutes que, desde la Revolcio’n Francesa y las primeras declaraciones de derechos del hombre, aparecen unidas: la nacionalidad y la ciudadani’a… la integracio’n de los inmigrants podri’a y deberi’a ser concebida como un proceso de creacio’n de nueva ciudadani’a en un doble sentido: la incorporacio’n de nuevos ciudadanos y la consolidacio’n por enriquecimiento de la ciudadani’a del viejo ciudadano.” 20

(después de 2000) “… una li’nea de actuacio’n de separacio’n radical del tratamiento del inmigrante regular e irregular para’ctica denominada “cultura de legalidad” 22

argumentos para una separacio’n radical: “a) un Estado de derecho no puede reconocer a quie’n se situa fuera del marco legal; b) lo que hace que haya un importante segmento de irregulares y que este se rproduzca tras cada regularizacio’n es precisamente el no atajar de plano de irregularidad; c) ser tolerantes con las situaciones de irregularidad no hara’ ma’s que atraer a ma’s inmigrantes produciendo un ‘efecto llamada’; d) los iregulares no contribuyen formalmente al mantenimiento del Estado de bienestar mediante la tributacio’n de impuestos directos y pagos a la Seguridad Social, por lo que no debera’n ser sus beneficiarios.

End of Sequence: Yuseph

2005-07-23T20:32:00.000+02:00

"We hoped for manual labor, human beings arrived." -- Max Frisch

Yuseph was my guide to the mosques of El Ejido, which are discrete and defended. The Moroccan mosque is also the new site of El Ejido´s ACOGE office.

Spanish mobs destroyed the old ACOGE office, along with a progressive Muslim woman NGO office and many Moroccan homes and businesses, in the riots of 2000. This wave of violence began with the murders of three Spanish citizens at the hands of two Moroccan immigrants.

Behind Yuseph are the greenhouses or "invernaderos." This picture was taken less than a block from a residential park.

"At the same time, this emerged from a municipality in which the urban and the rural are frequently interspersed, where you can find greenhouses right in the middle of urban El Ejido and apartments amongst the greenhouses, which suggests that many people, when they return to their houses, pass through zones which are very unsettling, especially at night, and where the presence of an immigrant might unleash a great deal of fear." from Checa, 111, my translation.

Aside: The U.S.

2005-07-23T20:22:00.000+02:00

A Heritage Foundation advocate for energetic assimilation. Though most of the argument is along the lines of Samuel Huntington, a notable quote from Woodrow Wilson:
"You cannot become thorough Americans if you think of yourselves in groups. America does not consist of groups. A man who thinks of himself as belonging to a particular national group has not yet become an American."

Aside: Norway

2005-07-23T20:16:00.000+02:00

This week one of Europe´s most traditionally "tough on immigration" countries is coming to grips with its own shortage of both skilled and unskilled labor.

Transition to Immigrant Labor

2005-07-23T19:59:00.000+02:00

From Checa:
"Until the mid-80´s the labor market was satisfied by a pioneer population, farmers from the Mediterranean mountains... however, in the last decade of the 20th century... the reduced availability of family laborers, together with an increase in the scale of production... created a scarcity of manual labor, also evident in other sectors of the economy. This was alleviated almost entirely through the means of immigrant labor." (82-84)

The Almerian Revolution

2005-07-23T19:08:00.000+02:00

One farmer´s response to the suggestion that Moroccan workers have fueled the "Almerian Miracle" -- a revolution in intensive farming involving the "green gold" of plastic roofing to increase temperatures. From Ian Gibson´s forward to El Ejido: la ciudad-cortijo
(my translation) (Alpujarra - a region of Spain South of Granada. Poniente -- district including El Ejido and a few other small cities).

"´You´re going to tell me that what I have I owe to the the Moors? Come on hombre, after everything I suffered?... Where were the Moors then? Come on hombre, and with us, the majority.´

This is true. If the self-exploitation of the Alpujarrian families 30 years ago has become exploitation of foreign manual labor, if misery and an economy of subsistence have now turned to riches, if from being a peon many have gone on to be the owners of corporations, something massive must have occured in the entire Almerian region of Poniente." (p. 16)

"But the Poniente can only be understood with regards to the first immigration of (Spanish) alpujarreños, mountain farmers who descended to the coasts of the sea; these were the farmers who, with their effort and sacrifice, with virtually no outside support, began to construct over the course of years the "sea of plastic" which today characterizes the region (with the greatest concentration of greenhouses in all of Europe)." (p.21)

Excerpt from Interview On Regularization

2005-07-22T18:27:00.000+02:00

K, re: another round of regularization:

It’s what everybody wants now. It’s what we all want. Every immigrant, even in Germany, France, America – we want every immigrant to get paper. Because – the importance of paper what it changes your job rights, it also means ability of movement, and even helps the government, because every month I pay the government. Anyway I believe this because when, I get paper, I have to find a job, and when I’m working, I pay taxes, and I can buy a car, I pay taxes to the government, I buy a house, I pay taxes, it’s an interest to the government there are many many many many many interests to the government- things that benefit me, too, as I develop myself. But if I don’t have a paper – no no no. If I don’t have a paper, if I can’t find a job, it is a very bad situation. Secondly, the government gets nothing for me. The small savings I have, they will get nothing from me. I will send it all to my country. But if I have the paper, I want to give something to this country. 09.07.2005

Collaborative Spanish Moroccan NGO-site

2005-07-15T19:22:00.000+02:00

In Spanish. La red de dos Orillas: the network between two shores.

El Ejido Apartment 3

2005-07-11T20:12:00.000+02:00

A similar picture from a flat in the same building where mostly Gambians live. On the wall behind us, a poster for the English rock group Queen. In the halls some vintage English advertisement.

And on the tele? Horse-jumping.

El Eljido Apartment 2

2005-07-11T19:07:00.000+02:00

One of the exotic customs in El Ejido: watching the tele on a Sunday afternoon.

I did notice an interesting difference, though I would not wish to generalize too much. This picture is from an apartment where most of the people are Malians. On the wall I noticed craftwork from Africa, and you can see that the clothes are very much a statement of African identity.

We watched a kind of MTV-Mali. A woman was singing while men danced around her, in more of a matriarchal and respectful way than the kind of male-dancing you might see in a Janet Jackson video. When I asked M. what she was singing about, he answered "poverty."

By comparison...

El Ejido Apartment Building 1

2005-07-11T18:47:00.000+02:00

Though his parents and family are from Mali, M. grew up and was educated in English-speaking former colony Gambia. He is my first and best friend in El Ejido.

The following pictures are from an apartment building inhabited entirely by men -- workiers in the invernaderos or green-houses. The Gambian community is tight-knit, with a formal group that meets on the first Sunday of every month. However in these living spaces, where every couch is also a bed and "lunch" is shared from a single platter between the 8 to 12 men who share the flat, people from many African nations coexist with visible solidarity. For example, those who succeeded in getting their papers in the recent round of regularizations are now very energetic in seeking out opportunities for their less-lucky friends to get them.

They share one common sentiment: "Moroccans no good." Some relate robberies they experienced passing through Morocco to get to Spain, others have had bad experiences in the greenhouses or on the streets of El Ejido here in Spain. In any case, as an African worker, "you don´t get Moroccan friends. No no no."

Andalucia Acoge

2005-07-08T13:09:00.000+02:00

I´m arranging an interview and will add comments later. Very interesting NGO project (with English and German translations). http://www.acoge.org/index_i.php

Immigration News

2005-07-06T20:45:00.000+02:00

The papers here have Spain spearheading the drive to eliminate illegal immigration, though this article emphasizes the role of France in the imminent tightening of borders (giving plenty of air-time to Chirac´s nemesis Sarkozy). Sarkozy immigration quote of note: "We want the world's best students in our countries, not those people nobody wants."

Also an interesting article on dual-citizenship in America.

Morocco

2005-07-04T19:56:00.001+02:00

"New openness"or photo-op for investors (article gone)? And a bust of would-immigrants to Canary Islands passing through Morocco. This is becoming a very common story, and raises the question of Morocco´s role in a secure immigration policy, motives (i.e. also a gesture towards closer economic cooperation with Europe), fairness and HR conduct, and effectiveness.

Africa

2005-07-04T19:35:00.000+02:00

Interestingly, Africa was a major theme in the Lisbon agenda. This article re-enforces my sense that Europe is taking this continent more seriously.

Big 5 Clampdown

2005-07-04T19:26:00.000+02:00

Spain will join France, Germany, England and Italy in a summit in Evian concerning new "tough on immigration" measures, including fingerprinting and id-cards. In the case of Spain, this may represent the follow-through of the classic "one-two" regularization then clampdown policy approach. See Hollifield´s criticism of this policy (I´ll dig up a quote later in the comment section).

Interior Vs. Labor

2005-07-02T19:24:00.000+02:00

Here are the websites of the two ministerios which vie for control over immigration policy in Spain:
www.mir.es (Ministerio del Interior)
www.mtas.es (Ministerio de Trabajo)

El Ejido

2005-07-01T16:54:00.000+02:00

Taking a bus along Spain´s Southern coast, you´ll see on one side coastlines, umbrellas and resorts. On the other side of the highway, your first impression: endless snow covered mountains. But the snow is only the plastic cover of the invernaderos or greenhouses which have fueled an agricultural boom in the South of Spain, growing berries beans and other products.

El Ejido is a town made for the people who work in the invernaderos. The work depends on the rain, and there are long periods of unpaid unemployment. I spoke to M. from Mali in El Ejido, who says that the temperature varies between 50 and 53 degrees C. during the work season. M. has applied for regularized status but is still waiting a response.

El Ejido witnessed one of the most dramatic episodes of Spanish ethnic violence in the February of 2004.

Interviews

2005-06-30T17:37:00.000+02:00

I´ve been using a mixed-method approach in my conversations here, where multiple-choice answers are followed by space for comments. Since I´ve been informed that it´s ethically ok to do so, I´ll include interesting conversations in the comments section.

Granada, El Ejído...

2005-06-26T16:23:00.000+02:00

Scattered reflections from the South.

Barra en el patio

2005-06-24T23:37:00.000+02:00

In the patio of Castillo de Guzman el Bueno - a 9th Century fortress and now homebase for Fadaiat. At night DJs se music to live streaming images from Tangiers or Latvia, juxtaposed and projected onto the fortress walls. A further question raised by Fadaiat is how 4. technology which disregards borders can prompt radical encounters and challenge borders. And, importantly, does it make for good dancing?

Foobar TV

2005-06-24T22:35:00.000+02:00

At night artists, architects, analysts, anarchists activists and presented movies or projects and the day's workshops were summarized. The theme of 3.cartography as an instrument of power and also of changing power relationships generated some of the most fruitful workshops, discussions and presentations.

Interesting - what parallel between mapping of territory and "mapping" of people through gradations of citizenship...

Setting

2005-06-24T21:39:00.000+02:00

Tarifa - A city where one must really dig for a view that is not beautiful. Here are a few. Fortress Europe is both a new and an ancient concept on this coast.

Tagsueber1

2005-06-24T20:49:00.000+02:00

The format of Fadaiat: During the day we had 2-4 "talleres" or workshops, which informed the evening presentations. There were also informally organized evening "Salons." I´ll list here the topics which I found most provocative and rattle off a few thoughts of my own.

1. Precariousness / Die Prekaeriat/ la precarizacion de la existencia. This is Fadaiat's most important contribution to the discourse on immigration and the future of the left in Europe and beyond. A brilliant answer to the riddle prompting Fadaiat, which is 'how to reconcile immigrant solidarity with leftist anti globalization forces?'

The answer is inscribed in Spanish history. Dissolve the binary prompted by citizenship, and focus on challenges faced by immigrants... and "native" workers (many Spanish workers were immigrants until very recently, and importantly many of them remember) ... and shared also by students buried in debt, artists, and 'knowledge workers.'
Importantly, "precariousness" cannot be applied universally to, for example, pscyhological conditions, as was argued by Sandro Mezzadra.

2. Biosindicalismo / Holistic unionism. Chavez's idea of a "Union in the Community" was well received and this would be an innovation to Europe in my opinion. As one old local reminded the group, however, it is essential to preserve the movement's memory. Bio unionism sounds very similar to what the Green Party advanced in the early 80's, and it would be important to learn from mistakes of the past. Interestingly the word 'ecology' came up to describe everything but nature.

2005-06-24T20:18:00.000+02:00

Fadaiat (through my eyes) (for better coverage of the event see Fadaiat 2005 ´s page (with an English tr.) or the Neighborhood Public Radio site, which should be up in a few days. Rather than trying to document the event, I´ll suggest interesting questions which Fadaiat raised for me

I took this picture in Cádiz, birthplace of the first and frequently-cited Spanish Constitution. I had forty minutes between train from Madrid and bus to Tarifa, and I received the same answer I would later receive in Málaga: no, there aren´t any immigrant neighborhoods in this city.

The only immigration I could really make out was a very ancient migration of building styles and technologies.

From Fadaiat

2005-06-22T17:50:00.000+02:00

Much to say from Tarifa -- I´ll leave it to the comments.

Franco´s Statue removed

2005-06-15T17:18:00.000+02:00

Not only immigration: in many ways Spain is now experiencing what other European nations went through 15-30 years ago. An interesting comparison would be the removal of this statue with the dismantling of the statues of Lenin which were a staple of the Eastern European landscape for a half-century.

2005-06-15T16:45:00.000+02:00

From Architecture exhibition at Nuevos Miniserios: "How to make possible the co-existence of the old population with the new?"

2005-06-15T16:23:00.000+02:00

Lavapies: home to anarchists and immigrants. "In the true sense one's native land, with its background of tradition, early impressions, reminiscences and other things dear to one, is not enough to make sensitive human beings feel at home." Emma Goldman, Lituanian-born American anarchist.

2005-06-15T15:38:00.000+02:00

Sign: House of Bangladesh (Small Grocery Story in Lavapies, Madrid). "The diverse spread of origin countries has been recogized as a characteristic trait of the Southern European immigration model." Joaquin Arango, 2000.

Laws of EU15 Ranked According to Immigrant Tolerance

2005-06-13T19:31:00.000+02:00

(Published El País 13.6.2005) / (Note: the British Council study whose results are reported here are based strictly on the content of each nation´s laws. Also note that this study was conducted before, and without regard to, the Spanish regularizations of 2005.)

1. Belgium (most tolerant)
2. Holland
3. Switzerland
4. Portugal
5. Spain
6. France
7. Finland
8. UK
-- Average score (based on five inputs: labor market, obtaining residence, obtaining nationality, family consolidation, anti-discriminatory measures)
9. Italy
10. Ireland
11. Germany
12. Austria
13. Luxembourg
14. Greece
15. Denmark (least tolerant)

Economic Incentives for Human Rights

2005-06-11T20:31:00.000+02:00

Under King King Mohammed VI and his predessor Morocco has taken steps towards human rights recognition, though the Western Sahara is, as ever, an open sore.

But why has Morocco made significant concessions on human rights in comparison to, say, Libya?

Those who realistically wish to initiate human rights reforms would do well to look to the political economy of Morocco, in relation to Spain, Portugal and Europe.

Rotten in Denmark and Lame in Spain

2005-06-11T18:36:00.000+02:00

The anti-immigrant Danish People´s Party´s growing clout was reflected in February´s elections. Denmark´s immigration and asylum laws are widely hailed/decried as the strictest in Europe.

Last week saw an arson attack on the home of Denmark´s Minister of Immigration by a leftist group calling themselves "Beatte without Borders."

Meanwhile after a two day reunion here in Spain the OSCE culminated in the Cordoba Declaration, vowing again to keep better track of rising anti-Semitic and racist violence. As this article notes, the OSCE has no powers of enforcement beyond expulsion (and if anyone can find a historical example of this please pipe up). Many doubt with good reason that such pledges and laundry lists will result in enforced anti-racist policies.

If the extreme left-wing continues to marginalize itself with such acts -- similar to the "eco-terrorism" in California which fueled a public discourse linking activism/dissent to domestic terrorism to international terrorism -- and if the human rights community is content to echo "feel good" rhetoric, what pragmatic spheres of action exist for the concerned citizen and/or professional?

Castilla y Leon = Brandenburg? Galicia = Sachsen?

2005-06-11T16:29:00.000+02:00

Many rural regions of Spain are experiencing human desertification a la East Germany. This article focuses on Castilla y Leon, but the theme of depopulation was also center-stage in recent state elections in Galicia. I was startled to read that the PP candidate supported more open immigration policies, but of course there are promising solutions involving immigration. However there would have to be some financial incentive for immigrants not to follow in every Galician´s footsteps to Madrid or Barcelona...

On the theme of Galicia (and the legalization human realities which pose no threat to society), I strongly recommend a movie which takes place mostly in Galicia called Mar Adentro.

Madrid Immigration Newspapers

2005-06-10T18:56:00.000+02:00

My impression after 2 weeks here is that very well-written papers which cover immigration in general (Si Se Puede, Somos Iguales) suffer from funding shortages. Newspapers aimed at a general Latin American audience seem to be doing quite well and appear regularly, though I´ve yet to track down North African or Eastern European analogues. Papers specific to a single nationality are everywhere but are more than 1/2 advertisements.

Significance of Switzerland

2005-06-07T20:41:00.000+02:00

Switzerland´s `yes` in its referendum to become part of the Schengen area should not be a surprise. The EU has thrived according to economic convenience and died in high profile crusades.

The SEA of the mid 80´s and the EU/EC´s other breakthroughs with political content have required strong leadership and, more importantly, economic optimism

Foes of "Amnesty" in America

2005-06-06T13:56:00.000+02:00

The Heritage Foundation rails against proposals for opening up routes to normal legal status for immigrants in America. I´ll jot down a few problems with this article in the comments section.

Spanish Stat´s Suggest Benefits of Regularization

2005-06-04T23:26:00.000+02:00

May 2005 showed a drop in unemployment entirely unprecendented in Spain´s history. While some claim that this drop -- 88.500 fewer unemployed Spaniards -- is due to new statistical methods or general Spanish economic progress, most newspapers concede that the regularization at least was a factor. In the same month, 218.498 new contributors to Social Security funds were recorded. No one seems to be contesting that this has been mostly an outcome of regularization.

First the "non"...now the "nee." Who is to blame...?

2005-06-03T00:34:00.000+02:00

Apparently, immigrants! A radio-show riding this trend in the coverage of the constitution´s crash.

127 million €

2005-05-31T21:33:00.000+02:00

Some press on the funding whose beneficiaries I´ve been trying to find here in Madrid (see ONG thread). This article (which is being reprinted elsewhere) might give the wrong impression -- the terms listed here are simply to qualify for regularized status, and then the funding is going to municipalities according to how many immigrants they have (with non-Spanish speaking immigrants given more weight, which makes sense in terms of education but not in the context of Spain´s historical immigration policy, which has traditionally favored former colonies). It appears that France has joined Germany (and Holland) in openly criticizing the amnesties. I´d be obliged if anyone could send me info on this, I missed it.

2005-05-31T20:47:00.000+02:00

Look a bit dated? This is from the Spanish referendum on its own constitution in 1978. It passed overwhelmingly, ending four decades of dictatorship.

Why liberalize immigration?

2005-05-31T19:46:00.000+02:00

“Indeed studies suggest that gains to the world economy from removing immigration barriers could well be enormous and greatly exceed the gains from removing trade barriers. For example, Bob Hamilton and John Whalley provide estimates that suggest that the gains from free migration of labor would more than double worldwide real income, indicating that immigration controls “are one of the (and perhaps the) most important policy issues facing the global economy. Even the most conservative estimate suggests that the gains would be a significant fraction (over 13 percent) of the worldwide real income. Furthermore, their analysis indicates that the free migration of labor would also greatly improve the global distribution of income by raising real wages dramatically for the world’s poorest workers.” Chang, 373

The Polish Plumber... with the plunger...

2005-05-30T22:32:00.000+02:00

Could it really be immigration fears that killed the Fr. referendum? As this article points out, the Constitution would have given the EU more power (and states therefor less sovereignty) in shaping immigration policy. But as G. Lahav predicted, the trend EU-wide has been towards closure, and the end effect of a more integrated EU policy would probably have been to yank in permissive outliers like Spain. And there was also a seven year "halt mal!" on the notorious Polish plumber. I think immigration is just one of the hydra-heads which scared up the non.

Some ONG´s in Madrid

2005-05-30T10:27:00.000+02:00

CEAR - refugee issues. Useful summary of refugee law.

Social Consensus on Migration -- CARITAS and CEAR inspired re-thinking of immigration issues.

FEMP -- keepin´it local. Madrid crew.

Madrid

2005-05-30T09:32:00.000+02:00

Madrid as Hauptstadt for immigration.

Polish immigrants in Madrid -- an ethnography of everyday life.

A decent demographic summary up to 2001.

Why immigration is a city kind of thing. Good article from UNESCO with ref. to Patrick Ireland.

Coked out white supremacist blog. Happy day.

Sane in Spain immigration blog -- much to read here.

Really good data on the regularization.

Google opinion thread on the regularizations -- should be interesting.

2005-05-29T17:29:00.000+02:00

o (fin de sequencia)

2005-05-29T17:28:00.001+02:00

corre

2005-05-29T17:28:00.000+02:00

mercado de los sin papeles

Immigrant News and Opinion Outside Spain

2005-05-29T16:46:00.000+02:00

Malaysia learns a hard lesson in the boomerang effect of immigrant labor crackdowns.

Meanwhile Britain is lacing up its boots for something similar during its stint in the EU presidency. There are some interesting ideas concerning development outlined here, though some studies have indicated that such projects may increase rather than decrease illegal immigration flows as countries of origin gain awareness and exposure to language etc. of assisting country. Vital would be linking assistence to a proven tightening of illegal outflows.

In a similar vein, some wishful thinking from DC concerning a new crusade towards Mexican development. An obvious answer is that we help Mexico by helping ourselves - remittances are an indispensable force for development in Mexico, and the low-cost work in the US that generates these flows helps our economy as well.

On the other hand, the national ID / secure driver´s L. initiative may provide a reasonable way to staunch fears about terrorism. Here in Spain you can´t own a car without regularized status. In Denver most anti-immigrant racism is expressed in automotive terms -- either they drive too fast, drive too drunk ("this isn´t Mexico, you know") or they leave to many cars on their lawn.

Spanish News and Blogs

2005-05-28T23:16:00.000+02:00

A good background from the BBC on the amnesties, the shadow economy and this blog´s backstory.

Today in El Pais: the state of Madrid is receiving the most federal funds for integrating immigrants. Followed by Cataluña.

An important note on Spanish society in transition. How this interacts with immigration, given that many immigrants now are in fact Catholics (far more devout than the Spaniards themselves) or Muslims, is a wide-open question.

7 european countries are intensifying cooperation in the "fight" (notably, not "war") against terrorism.

Not directly related to immigration ... (or? I´ve always wondered how the constant presence of ETA may impact impressions of Spaniards with regards to terrorism). This just a few days after a car-bomb in Madrid, and one woman confessed yesterday that, despite all struggles with immigration and unemployment, ETA is "lo peor" (the worst thing) about Spain.

Much also on the conference in Berlin on collective (shameful) memory in Spain and Germany.

Another blogger in Spain, good links to other blogs.

3 days in Madrid

2005-05-28T00:02:00.000+02:00

It begins...

I live with a couple from Bolivia in the neighborhood of Puerta del Àngel. From my window I can look down on buildings with laundry dangling, dusty playgrounds between buildings, then across the river, the new Cathedral .

I met a lawyer who works -- coincidentally -- with Bolivianos, and I spent today doing exploratory interviews at the office where he works, to help me finalize my survey. The survey went from five to 14 questions. Then I spoke with Dr. Joaquìn Arango and a few other professors, and they helped me visualize how to make this happen. I already have two willing particpants; I´m shooting for 120; we´ll see how that goes.

Interesting questions from today´s conversations with Bolivianos: does it help Spain´s economy that more people are setting up phones, buying cars and taking on-line internet courses? Beyond the obvious consumption, what long term benefits? I have an intuitive sense but need to set this music to academese...

Scandal in Huelva

2005-05-25T15:26:00.000+02:00

It seems a lot of these are coming to light of late:

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2005/05/24/solidaridad/1116934148.html

El Pais went into a lot more detail - this group was really gouging immigrants and delivering nothing. Have the amnesty laws made reporting this kind of thing easier?

May 20 Immigration News - Spain

2005-05-21T06:06:00.000+02:00

Spain

Expatica:

Foreigners buoy economy

Khaleej Times:

Losers of Amnesty policy: 300,000 Moroccans face deportation.

Children of Immigrants in Am.

2005-05-19T04:19:00.000+02:00

from Urban Institute

Izquierdo, 1996

2005-05-19T03:36:00.000+02:00

ISBN #: 84-8164-075-1
Selected Contents (no accents)

1. Datos sobre la inmigracion magrebi en Espana y reflexiones sobre la politica migratoria
2. La inmigracion y su representacion en la Espana de 1994-5
3. mujer inmigrante
5. CONSEQUENCIAS DE LA REGULARIZACION DE 1985 Y 1991!
6. La inmigracion marroqui a la luz de las regularizaciones de 1985 y 1991
7. Encuestas
14. racismo

Civale, 2004

2005-05-19T01:50:00.000+02:00

-- Gracias a Nuria Vives (SOS), M. Calderón (AI), organización Ecuatoriana Llactacaru, marroquí IBN Batuta, andaluza AMAL

-- Advocacy, Participatory

-- Marxism?: "Los inmigrantes son necesarios para la supervivencia de Europa, para su continuidad como continente, y su movimiento inevitable y perpetuo es un fenómeno que surge del aberrante desequilibrio económico que con impunidad se erige como modo de vida corriente en esta etapa del desarrollo del mundo." (13)

-- HR

-- Enfoque "no es sólo un libro sobre los inmigrantes arentinos"

óáíéñÖúĺüä

2005-05-19T01:48:00.000+02:00

what part of that don't you understand? (for cut and paste temp purposes)

Immigration News May 18

2005-05-18T23:21:00.000+02:00

SPAIN

BBC:

There are an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 prostitutes in Spain, more than 90% are immigrants and most operate from roadside brothels, said the union.

Many are eastern European or African and work in near slavery, it said. "This cannot be tolerated," it added.

EUROPE

news.com.au

The Netherlands was once seen as a haven of stability and tolerance, but social tensions have risen since the 2002 murder of openly gay anti-immigration populist Pim Fortuyn and the killing last November of a filmmaker critical of Islam.

The rise in homophobia has been blamed on immigrant groups such as Turks and Moroccans - already under scrutiny amid accusations they are not doing enough to combat Islamic militancy - and on politicians preaching conservative values.

US

National Review:

Mark Krikorian

The essence of the bill is the same as the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act: amnesty up front for millions of illegal aliens in exchange for paltry promises of future enforcement — promises that will quickly be abandoned. But in 1986, many people didn’t know that yet. There was a sense then that the law was a grand bargain — closing the back door by prohibiting the employment of illegal immigrants (for the first time ever), but tying up the loose ends of prior policy missteps with an amnesty.

fadaiat - Tarifa-Tangiers

2005-05-18T17:33:00.000+02:00

Multi-media art project

Article from YaleGlobal Online

2005-05-18T17:22:00.000+02:00

This article from YaleGlobal Online has been sent to you by josh.

Going against the grain of regional ideology, Spain this week granted political amnesty to nearly 700,000 illegal immigrants living in the country. This is the latest in several blanket amnesties since 1990. During a three-month period in which illegal workers and their employers could file for the necessary papers, thousands of immigrants, from Latin America and around Europe came out from hiding, in Spain or other countries, to obtain legal residency. Spain considers the decision ? fueled in part by concerns over the exploitation of illegal migrants ? a victory. These individuals and their families have been removed from the black market economy where so many illegals find work, boosting the Spanish economy and previously sagging population growth. Spain has recently surpassed France as the adopted home of choice for immigrants coming to Europe. This newest wave of naturalized Spaniards shares a language and religion with its host country, but tensions still exist in the interactions between natives and immigrants. For many, Spain's stance on immigration is still welcome in a continent where closed borders have caused tensions in the past. ?YaleGlobal

Spain Grants Amnesty to 700,000 Migrants

Queues in scramble to meet deadline for acquiring official status

Giles Tremlett

The Guardian, 11 May 2005

Spain declared an amnesty yesterday for about 700,000 illegal immigrants, bucking a Europe-wide trend of cracking down on economic migrants, while striking at exploitation of those working secretly and fearfully in the black economy.

The Socialist government claimed that a three-month qualification period which ended at the weekend - during which illegal workers and their employers could apply for residency and work permits - had attracted most of the country's illegal workers.

"We can feel very satisfied," said the labour minister, Jesús Caldera. "Almost 700,000 jobs brought out of the black economy - that represents 80% to 90% of all such jobs held by immigrants in Spain."

Officials said that, with workers' families included, more than a million people would no longer have to hide from police or labour inspectors.

Long queues had built up outside government offices as the deadline for the amnesty drew near. Ecuadorians, Romanians, Moroccans and Colombians made up most of the applications.

"If you get the papers, you go from being nobody to being somebody ... you exist," one Ecuadorian, Alvaro Salgado, 30, told Reuters news agency as he queued on Saturday.

Critics said the amnesty had attracted a flood of extra immigrants, including many who had been living illegally in France, Germany and Italy.

"There are now three times as many illegal immigrants as there were a year ago," said Ana Pastor, social affairs spokeswoman for the opposition conservative People's party. "Spain is considered an easy ride."

The newspaper El Mundo said in an editorial: "On the horizon one can detect new avalanches of migrants - encouraged by this process - who could bring with them problems of crime and integration."

Mr Caldera denied the claims, saying police figures showed that illegal immigration was on the wane.

Spain, a country which still recalls the emigration experiences of millions of its own people, has seen a huge growth in immigration over the past five years as a booming economy has sought fresh, cheap labour.

Spain recently overtook France as a host country for migrants after seeing numbers quadruple to 3.7 million people, or 8.4% of the population, since 2000.

The sudden influx has, so far, caused relatively few problems and little heated political debate - possibly because many of the newcomers are from Latin America and share the same language and religion.

Yesterday, however, government officials were still trying to calm tension in the Madrid neighbourhood of Villaverde, where a Spanish youth was stabbed to death by an immigrant 10 days ago.

Migrants have turned round a population decline in Spain and have helped fuel consumer growth in the economy.

Madrid has organised six immigration amnesties since 1990, several of them under the former People's party government.

"They are justifiable because they are the only way to deal with situations that are humanely and socially unsustainable and which harm the economy," the pro-Socialist newspaper El País commented yesterday.

Mr Caldera said the amnesty would lead to an increase in social security contributions of about €1.5 bn (£1bn) a year.

Officials say the extra contributions will help offset a looming pensions crisis.

Mr Caldera added, however, that there would be no more amnesties.

He announced an immediate crackdown on black-market employers and newly arrived illegal workers.

"We recommend that those who have not managed to legalise their situation return to their countries immediately," the secretary of state for immigration, Consuelo Rumí, told ABC newspaper yesterday.

Supporters of the amnesty included trade unions and employers' associations.

One building company manager, who handed in papers for a Romanian and a Brazilian, told El País that he was pleased to be taking his workers out of the black economy.

"I'm very happy with them," he said. "I'll hire as many immigrants as possible ... they are punctual and do what they set out to do."

Bibliography (Work in Progress) and Literature Map

2005-05-18T06:30:00.000+02:00

How best to do this?

2005-05-18T06:25:00.000+02:00

from fadiat web-project

Liliana Suárez-Navaz (2004)

2005-05-18T06:12:00.000+02:00

We are living times of fear and anxiety about terrorists who, in the name of Islam, want to destroy icons of modernity and secular development. Arguments for a future of civilizational opposition maintained by several intellectuals around the world will surely conjure up the terrible images of the destruction that occurred on the 11th of September, 2001, in New York. Rhetorics of revenge grow at a global level, reconfigured as a new scenario of competing sacred and universal destinies. The complex dynamics of interethnic relations around the world, the new spaces of rich hybridization, and the historical experiences of peaceful interreligious convivencia --a relevant historical experience for Andalusia and a key concept in this book -- all dissolve in the new powerfully created antagonism between secularized Western Christianity and Islam.

There is an urgent need to put forward case studies where this oppositional dynamic is clearly shown as historically constructed... (1)