The weight of the immigrant population in Andalusia is 10.37%, significantly below the Spanish average (15.24%), despite the fact that the autonomous community is one of the main
entry points for irregular immigration
that
rises
above sea to the peninsula. The arrival to the Andalusian coasts of pateras is placed every year, with good weather, in the focus of the attention of the media, due to the enormous
risk to people's lives
and also because of the resources that are deployed for their rescue on the high seas.
However, according to the X-ray of the migratory phenomenon carried out recently by the Junta, Andalusia
is far from being among the communities with the greatest
migratory
pressure
and also far from being a community that perceives migration as one of its main problems.
The Andalusian Government approved last Tuesday the document
"Andalusian Strategy for Immigration 2021-2025: Inclusion and Coexistence",
which defines the main lines of action that will be put in place to guarantee a balanced management of immigration that respects rights of people.
This document includes an exhaustive analysis of the reality of the immigrant population in the autonomous community and makes it possible to refute some of the prejudices that are frequently used to turn the arrival of foreigners into a thrown weapon in the political debate. The data reproduced below are extracted from the document prepared by the Ministry of the Presidency, Public Administration and the Interior, whose owner is
Elías Bendodo
, and approved by the Governing Council in its session last Tuesday.
To begin with, it should be noted that there is an
unequal distribution of the immigrant population in Andalusia
, with provinces with up to 20% immigrant population (Malaga or Almería), close to 10% (Huelva and Granada) and close to 5% (Cádiz, Córdoba, Jaén and Seville).
The territories of origin are also different in each province, although
Morocco is the country that contributes the most people
globally, except in the provinces of Córdoba and Huelva, where the largest group comes from Romania.
In Andalusia, as in the rest of Spain, and after the drastic decrease in migratory flows that was registered as a result of
the 2008 crisis,
there has been an upturn in the arrival of foreigners, coinciding with the economic recovery. That rally has been interrupted by
the Covid pandemic
, the long-term effects of which are difficult to foresee.
Apart from this last parenthesis, the rebound in migratory flows dates back to 2017, when a
five-year
trend
of declines
was broken
. In that period, the number of people residing in Andalusia born abroad showed a curve-shaped evolution, with a peak in 2012 and a valley around 2016, which indicates that the 2008 crisis drove the
departure of immigrants. towards other countries
».
After the economy recovered, he highlighted the increase in arrivals from
Morocco, Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Honduras
. The editors of the report observe, on the one hand, a certain degree of feminization, also a rebound in family immigration, and the existence of a group in an irregular situation. "In any case, it should be noted that the vast majority of the immigrant population is in
a stable administrative situation,
according to the available information," says the report from the Ministry of the Presidency.
The editors of the study point out in this regard, however, that the data foresee an increase in people in an irregular situation due to the
possible denials of applications
for international protection and the termination of residence permits after the loss of employment as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
«That the aforementioned pandemic will have an effect on the immigration pattern can be considered highly probable. It is difficult to pinpoint how exactly. However, the evolution curves of immigration in Andalusia and Spain suggest that, after the economic crisis suffered as of 2008, the immigrant population decreased between 2012 and 2016, that is, with a few years of latency with respect to the beginning of the crisis, to regain the ascending line from 2017. This obviously does not say what will happen in the coming years, although it
shows a precedent,
"the report underlines.
The study also points to the changes that the Government of Spain is going to introduce in the management of reception processes so that the autonomous communities assume a large part of the powers.
Thus, Andalusia faces "an upcoming challenge", having to expand the scarce resources that the system is endowed with to serve those who receive refugee status.
Social perception of immigration
Regarding the perception of Andalusian society, it should be noted that the main concerns of its population, according to the
Study of Opinions and Attitudes of the Andalusian Population towards Immigration (OPIA VIII, 2019),
are related to the market work, health care, politics and corruption.
Concern about immigration increases compared to the results of the previous survey (2017), but "it remains
far from the main reasons for concern
expressed by the Andalusian population."
On the other hand, the report of the Ministry of the Presidency points out that there has been a "growing trend in the perception of immigration
as a threat to security and as competition for resources and public aid
."
However, it highlights that such perceptions continue to be minority ”, despite the social diffusion of“ this
erroneous idea
that immigrants receive preferential treatment from public administrations ”.
On the contrary, the positive assessment of immigration is related to its labor component
("they provide labor")
and its contribution to preventing the aging of the population.
Both appreciations registered their highest value since 2005 in 2019, while those who claimed to find "little or no" positive effect on immigration dropped to 22%, the lowest value in the series, the report points out again.
Likewise, it is pointed out that daily contact with immigrants generates more inclusive perspectives: 76% of people who maintain relationships with immigrants
value their relationship as positive
and 15% very positive.
Only 5% consider it negative or very negative.
Andalusia, in comparison with the whole of Spain, presents a higher frequency in the relations of
neighborliness and friendship
between people of different origins, which points to a greater degree of social integration.
The attitude towards immigration changes
according to age
.
Thus, at an older age, a more unfavorable opinion is observed, "being able to speak of a generation gap."
The educational level also influences.
In this way, "at a higher educational level, a more positive assessment appears, while at a lower level, a feeling of injury emerges in terms of social protection."
Third - the report emphasizes - "
ideological positioning
plays a relevant role, in the context of polarization and instrumentalization of immigration in the political struggle."
"As we pointed out previously, the daily contact between populations facilitates more open positions, although in spaces with a high concentration of immigrant population it also generates suspicion, especially with regard to the use of public space."
Finally, it mentions that the
gender variable
loses strength, although a more unfavorable attitude continues to be recorded among women than among men.
Boat balance in 2021
The number of irregular immigrants arrived in the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands by sea so far this year (until July 15) is 6,115, according to the latest balance published by the Ministry of the Interior and which does not break down the figures by autonomous communities. Given its size and its proximity to Africa, most of these arrivals do so through the Andalusian coasts. The flow of arrivals has increased by 26.4% compared to what was registered in 2020, when the pandemic caused a sharp drop in the traffic of boats. At the moment, it is
far from the figures reached in 2019 (10,856) or 2018 (15,686) in the same period of the year,
although, throughout 2021 the greatest pressure from irregular migration has been suffered in the Canary Islands.
The total volume of those arriving in Spain by sea, including the Canary Islands and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla), is almost double, with 13,724 registered people, which represents
an increase of 78%
compared to 2020, and also exceeds what was registered in 2019 (11,703 people).
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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