¡Listo!

I didn't think I was gonna write another post until tomorrow, but then we talked in class today about the "problem" of immigration in Spain, which is actually very similar to the "problem" of immigration in the United States.

The main source of immigrants to Spain is principally Morocco, but others come from other North African countries, such as Mauritania, Senegal, Algeria, and even as far as down as Equatorial Guinea.  Lots of these immigrants will come to Spain in pateras, which are small, ramshackle boats that are only built to fit 4-35 people, depending on how big they're built, but can end up transporting anywhere from 10-100 people at a time.  Other sources of immigrants are South/Central American countries, such as Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina, and, more surprisingly, China.  (Evidently, there's some special government benefit that the Chinese get for opening stores, called chinos, and I think they have to have papers, but I'm not sure.)

Immigration laws in Spain are a lot less strict than those in the U.S., so it's a lot easier for illegal immigrants to assimilate into society, at least theoretically.  I talked with my teacher, Ángeles, about the level of xenophobia in our two countries, and we determined that they were about the same.  And additionally, she mentioned that at the heart of this immigration "problem" is economic insecurity, just like most other conflicts of interest between nations or factions or anything like that.  Which is something often overlooked because of political backlash or social discontent, etc.

Last semester, I took a Spanish class that sought to enhance speaking and writing ability in Spanish while talking about issues in today's society.  One of these was immigration of Central and South Americans to the U.S.  As part of this topic, we read an article about certain myths associated with the great influx of immigrants and their impact on society.  For this class, we read a similar article.  Some of the myths include:

• That immigrants increase the level of juvenile delinquency in Spain (out of necessity).
• That immigrants are invading Spain by force.
• That the arrival of so many immigrants makes Spain an unsafe country.
• That immigrants get benefits that Spanish citizens have to pay for even though the immigrants aren't citizens.
• That Spanish citizens emigrate legally, whereas Moroccans and Algerians and Chinese don't.
• And (possibly the worst), that immigrants take jobs away from Spanish citizens.

Si el discurso era que se necesitaba mano de obra extranjera para que el español pudiese dejar de ensuciarse las manos, ¿por qué ahora son ellos el primer objetivo a culpar cuando llega la crisis?

Really rough translation:

If the argument was always that foreign workers were needed so that the Spanish citizen didn't have to get his hands dirty [from taking inferior jobs], why is it that during this time of crisis foreigners are the first ones to be blamed?

If Spaniards (and Americans) really cared about their jobs being taken away by immigrants, they would take the jobs themselves instead of complaining about it.  That's pretty rash, but it's true, too.

Of course, there are always other factors involved, along with extenuating circumstances, but the way I see it, immigration isn't a "problem."  People should be free to move wherever they want to, as well as be free to pursue a better life.  It's a no-brainer to me.  Sure, it can't run unchecked, which is why we have immigration laws to begin with, but as of right now, there are so many more immigrants that get into our country without a problem than solely Central/South Americans.  And you know what?  They're all rich.  (Or at least, so Ángeles says.)

Anyway, couple my feelings with the myths we read about and you get a hot topic for me.  Especially because, by typical standards, I am currently an immigrant.