Migration

Since the early 1900s, hundreds of thousands of refugees in countries throughout the Middle East left or were forced to leave without a Pound or a Franc from lands where they had lived in since biblical times. What is often not addressed in English language media or worldwide as a whole, is that many of these people were Jewish communities which were slowly destroyed for political, cultural and religious reasons in the 20th century. Many of these communities eventually inherited the fate of the Jewish Community in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition, leaving towns and villages where their cultures and communities thrived for generations for new destinations abroad, slowly losing their heritage and homes to satisfy the desires of the political majority. While not all countries in the Middle East treated their Jewish communities with severe contempt and some communities were given some equality in their respective societies, the majority of Jewish people who had lived for thousands of years in the Middle East were forced to leave for Europe, the Americas the new state of Israel and even Asia.

Many Jewish people from Arab lands settled in France where Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan Jews could speak French and integrate into society. Jewish people from Iraq and other former British colonies settled in London and the United States, even making it as far as China and Singapore. Many settled in Latin America as well, with Syrian, Lebanese and Iraqi Jews creating communities in Brazil and Argentina and many Turkish and Syrian Jews settling in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and even Cuba. In one community in Havana alone, an entire village with all their religious texts and chattels from their original town in Turkey were transplanted into Cuba in the early 1900s. They moved to live in the US Protectorate at the time of Cuba, which spoke Spanish, similar to the dialect of Ladino they inherited from their ancestors who escaped from Spain to live in Turkey, Italy, France and Greece. In 1948, half of Israel’s population alone was made of Jewish people who came from Arab, Persian, Central Asian and Turkish lands. These refugees were often forced to leave their birthplace and all their funds and land built up upon generations in order to arrive poor and homeless in Israel and abroad. While these people often had a difficult time in their birth countries and in Israel upon arrival, their situation has only been given some slight attention in the last 10 years. Almost none of their original communities exist today; making Jewish culture from Arab lands some of the oldest decimated cultures to have been lost to the world in the last 100 years.

Some slight progress has been made in addressing the issue of Jews from Arab and other Middle Eastern lands. On April 1st 2008, the U.S. Congress passed House Resolution 185, which grants first-time-ever recognition to Jewish refugees from Arab countries. For the first time those hundreds of thousands of refugees and emigrants who lost their homes and were turned into poverty were recognised 60 years later as being not simply a forgotten people. US Rep. Ros-Lehtinen made a statement saying:

“Far fewer people are aware of the injustice faced by Jewish refugees from Arab lands and Iran. Many Jews saw their communities, which had existed vibrantly for centuries systematically dismantled. They lost their resources, their homes, and their heritage sites, fleeing in the face of persecution, pogroms, revolutions and brutal dictatorships.”

With many smaller cultures in the Middle East facing persecution in the last 50 to 100 years, the first steps to addressing refugees beyond those well known refugee groups are beginning to take place. Beyond those Jews from Arab lands, other groups such as Zoroastrians, Armenians, Kurdish, Bah’ai, Assyrians, Christians, recent Iraqis and various other oppressed groups and political refugees need to be acknowledged. After 60 years of unknown suffering, this small group of people are finally able to reconcile their history and future as a recognized people and culture in the world community.

*This post has also been cross-posted in the FPA’s Latin America Blog.

Two countries have stood out in their respective regions as economically progressive policy successes in the last ten years. In Europe, Spain along with Ireland have seen much of the positive development and economic growth when the rest of the EU has been wrestling with high unemployment rates and drastic changes in governments. In Latin America, Brazil under Lula and under the former Cardoso Administration have grown at a steady positive rate, breaking the traditional Latin American plague of economic collapses and large booms that seem to be commonplace in almost all South American economies to date. With success, the importance of Spain and Brazil have taken on a new form in their regions and abroad. Traditionally the place of the United States, these emerging regional powers now seem to be inheriting some of America’s traditional problems.

Brazil has always been a country of immigration. The population of Brazil, while taking in only some immigrants from Asia, Africa and Europe in the last few years, was one of the countries that absorbed much of the world’s immigration since the 1880s. This open policy remained, and while economic problems and changes from populist, to military, to democratic governments took shape since the 1930s, immigration remained strong as long as there were jobs to be done in one of the world’s largest countries. With traditional economic instability and some recent success, many Brazilians have chosen to go abroad to either find more work or utilize their assets to enjoy life abroad. In Spain, this emigration from Brazil has taken a foothold with both emigrants coming and living illegally for work or working in legal low paying jobs, as well as those upper middle class Brazilians coming to make a life and career in Spain as professionals and entrepreneurs.

While the general impression of Brazilians in Spain is a positive one, there have been some problems against immigrants at the main Spanish airports and in society as a whole. Many immigrants, including many Brazilians often enter Spain and stay illegally. This has been a problem one many fronts, as many Latin Americans, Africans and other Europeans do not go through the normal procedures to live and work in Spain but come as temporary workers or as refugees or simply pass through the border and disappear. With Spain having some economic expansion and the closing off of the US to many immigrants, the Spanish immigration system has become overwhelmed. Since 2006, the number of Brazilians coming into Spain has nearly “tripled or quadrupled”, while at the same time in Spain eight Brazilians a day are deported.

The solution to the Brazil-Spain situation needs to be addressed by both countries. Brazil needs to reform its immigration to fit with its position as an emerging power in the world. With 3-4 millions Brazilians living abroad, Lula will have the responsibility to create and international Brazil without losing all of the most talented to other countries and still maintain funds coming from those emigrants abroad. Spain will also have to accept Brazilians and the diversity of the Brazilian social strata now living throughout the Iberian Peninsula. It will take a long time to adapt the infrastructure to treat foreigners in a respectful fashion, but attempts need to begin immediately. Brazilians and others will be challenged living in Spain in becoming Spanish. While it might be easier from some, it is doubtful that those migrants to Spain who are not seen in a positive light will be so easily welcomed in the near future.

This week’s news roundup features the Bush administration’s last ditch attempts at addressing the immigration issue in absence of fundamental policy reform. We also look ahead to the immigration issues at stake in the Spanish elections on March 9. Germany breathed a sigh of relief, when the deadly blaze that killed nine Turks, including two children, was discovered to have originated from a construction problem in the basement rather than a xenophobic arson attack, as originally assumed.

• Despite the failure to push comprehensive immigration reform through the Senate late last year, the Bush government is stepping up its efforts to stem illegal immigration through the introduction of a “virtual fence”, enhanced border patrols and by making the use of E-Verify - the electronic system to check the status of employed immigrants - mandatory for employers.
• New demographic data by the Pew Research Center points to the fact that the United States will become ever more dependant on immigrants to float welfare programs, similar to the predictions made for Europe’s demographic development: “What such an outcome could portend, other analysts have said, is a nation riven politically between older, whiter, voting retirees who are increasingly supported by a younger, darker, working population that, as immigrants, may be disproportionately ineligible to vote.”
• Spain takes to the polls next Sunday. As a relative newcomer to the circle of immigrant receiving countries, the last two governments have struggled to define functional policies that allow the country to benefit from the influx of people, while maintaining balanced social and welfare systems. Most recently, the Socialist government has issued an amnesty for illegals living and working in the country. The conservative Partido Popular has now put up its own plans for immigration policy under its candidate Mariano Rajoy. He would like to see immigrants sign an ““integration contract”. This would oblige them to learn Spanish, to work hard to integrate—and to return home if they are unemployed for too long or commit a crime.” We will follow the immigration debate in Spain as election day draws nearer.
• The artery is clogged - that would be one way of describing the state of affairs at the Canadian-US border, which, according to the Economist, is having detrimental economic effects. Since September 11th the additional border control measures have meant that patients who need emergency medical care across the border are dying en route, red tape is tying up trade and hampering the exchange of services, as proven by the example of the volunteer firefighters held up at the border for so long, the building they were planning on saving had burnt to a crisp.
• Arson has been ruled out as the cause of the deadly housefire that killed nine Turks in Germany’s town of Ludwigshafen. Reminded of the fires that ripped through asylum seeker homes throughout the country in the early nineties the fire was not only seen as a human tragedy but had reopened existing debates over xenophobia and integration policies. In a bold political move, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had flown to Germany to both express his condolences to the victim’s families but to deliver two key speeches, which were contradictory in nature. While he called upon his countrymen and women to integrate into German society in one statement, he demanded they resist assimilation into the dominant society in a speech to thousands of Turkish citizens in one of Cologne’s largest arenas. More on the story can be read here.

Numerous stories are crossing the wires today about the erosion of the fish population off the European and African coasts. The pace at which industrial trawlers, mostly from EU member states, where fishing - like agricultural activity - is subsidized, has put the survival of entire species at peril. In September, the European Union ordered fishers haul in their nets on bluefin tuna, citing the exaustion of quotas. Fisheries had long been one of the most contested areas of the Common Agricultural Policy, so much so, that upon enlargement a separate Directorate General was created to deal only in matters of access rights to territorial waters, fishing quotas and sustainibility levels.

Consumer economics is driving the demand for fish. As many start opting for the “chicken of the sea” and its scaly counterparts for health reasons, global turnover rises. It now amounts to more than 100 million tons each year. Europe has suddenly become the world’s largest market for fish, each year worth more than €14 billion. And as appetites grow, native fish populations are declining. Europe alone is now importing half of the fish consumed on its shores, including from countries in the developing world. Still, supply cannot meet demand: Enter the flourishing black market in seafood.

What, do you ask, does any of this have to do with migration? Well, let’s see: Those best equipped to compete in a shrinking market, in which the commodity at stake is a limited natural resource are leaders in their field, i.e. industrial trawling companies, not the simple dingies available to the average Mauritanian fisherman. As the industry moves South to follow the flock, African countries have been able to squeeze a tidy sum out of the European Union in negotiations on fishing deals, often disregarding the needs of their own populations. Foreign fleets now far outnumber African counterparts in coastal waters off of Senegal and Mauritania. This, in turn, has forced many African fisherman and their wares onto the thriving black market - or pushed them out of the business completely. As the International Herald Tribune’s Sharon LaFraniere reports, many of these are literally abandoning ship in an attempt to carve out a better life for themselves in Europe. Indirectly, the EU is responsible for their loss of livelihood and now they are trying to recapture a life lost by attempting to cross treacherous open waters, often in hope of returning to the only profession they know:

“I could be a fisherman there,” he said. “Life is better there. There are no fish in the sea here anymore,” the article quotes Ale Nodye, a third generation fisherman and returned illegal immigrant from Senegal.

These stories vividly prove how the erosion of sovereignty, or renegotiation of maritime boundaries can spell economic gain for a select few and hardship for those left behind. It’s a story from the globalization picture book. The European Union cannot continue to preach a commitment to combatting the “root causes” of migration in the home countries, while supporting existing policies that make economic migration the only plausible solution for many of those left without means to subsist. If the EU fails to tackle these issues simultaneously, it will again be embroiled in a viscious cycle of useless policies at an extremly high price tag.

This week’s news takes a look at the situation in the small country of Moldova where a majority of its workers abroad are illegal, examines the further developments in the shooting of the Brazilian man during the chaos of the London Bombings and the resulting inquiry into his death and focuses on Libya’s human rights record and deaths on the US border. We also take a look at Australia’s further integration issues and a record breaking number of African Migrants reaching the Canary Islands of Spain this past week :

• IMF forecasts that Moldova will be the world leader for the amount of money sent home by migrants in 2008. Most of the Moldovan workers abroad are illegal immigrants. See the story here.
• London police misled public after accidental shooting, panel finds a top official failed to inform the commissioner of the victim’s identity, thus allowing erroneous reports to be perpetuated in the media. The Brazilian national was killed by London police during the anarchy of the London Bombing, but inquiries found that errors by the London police were skewed and subsequently covered up in the aftermath of the situation. See the story here.
• Libya is set to take charge of a UN anti-racism committee in a move condemned by human rights groups who say the north African country’s rights record disqualifies it from the post. Libya takes over on the heels of torture allegations put forward by foreign medics recently released from the country. See the story here.
• The number of illegal immigrants who have died trying to get into the United States is higher than ever this summer. According to USAToday, many migrants have not been able to survive the harsh conditions of the deserts between the US and Mexico and often perish during the journey. Resaons for this are discussed in the article. See the story here.
• In a report by CNN, The body of a Cuban-American, Luis Lazaro Lara Morejon who was under investigation in a migrant smuggling case was found riddled with bullets along a road outside the Caribbean resort of Cancun, authorities said Tuesday. See the story here.
• A new test for Migrants to Australia is to be created according to the Sydney Morning Herald. People who are seeking to immigrate will face stricter scrutiny of their ability to integrate into Australian society, the Minister for Immigration, Kevin Andrews said this past week. See the story here.
• A record-breaking 180 African immigrants reached the Canary Islands in a single ocean-going canoe on Monday as new super-sized vessels began to be used in the perilous journey from Africa’s Atlantic coast. The 180 sub-Saharan Africans were picked up by a Spanish maritime rescue vessel off the island of Tenerife. See the story here. 

Human Rights Watch is accusing the Spanish government of abusing unaccompanied migrant children in its detention facilities on the Canary Islands. In its report (“Spain’s Failure to Protect the Rights of Unaccompanied Migrant Children in the Canary Islands”) issued on July 26, the organization heavily criticizes the treatment of these minors while in camps on the islands off the coast of Spain. Interviews with the children revealed that they had been subjected to beatings by staff, and left unprotected from violence by their peers. German news magazine, Der Spiegel, is reporting that a number of these children have also been sexually abused during their time in the camps.

“These children should be protected by the Spanish authorities, not left to suffer beatings and abuse,” said Simone Troller, Europe children’s rights researcher for Human Rights Watch. “The Canary Islands government should close these centers and arrange better care for the children.”

The International Herald Tribune quotes a number of the children in its article:

“Children interviewed at La Esperanza talked of a punishment cell, a windowless room with no toilet, where they were beaten and locked up for days at a time and forced to urinate and defecate on the floor, the report said.

Jean-Marie N., a 17-year-old interned boy, described an incident when a youngster “got into trouble with educators” and was taken to the showers and beaten.

“There was blood on the boy’s mouth and his clothes were full of blood - his shirt could not be used anymore,” he said.”

According to Der Spiegel, Spain’s Minister of Social Affairs, Inés Rojas, has promised to follow up on the allegations and will personally inspect the camps over the next few days.

Autorities on the Canary Islands have created a total of four camps to house up to 500 children. After Spain stepped up its collaboration with other EU member states and the Union’s border patrol FRONTEX a total of 4700 migrants have arrived on the islands’ shore. Last week another migrant vessel capsized 180km off the coast of Spain, killing 50.

More articles on this story:

New York Times: In Spanish Centers for Migrant Youth, Reports of Squalor 

The Independent (UK) : Spain accused of keeping migrant children in ‘punishment’ cells

ABConline (Australia): Spain called on to close Canary Its migration camps

 In a few underreported incidents, last Thursday a migrant boat with 20 aboard disappeared in the Mediterranean Sea near Sicily on its way to Europe. Last Wednesday, 23 migrants were also picked up by Italian coastguards found clinging to a tuna cage near Sicily. Numerous other migrants were picked up as well last week from various boats. It was reported that 35 people had drowned since the beginning of the month of June in between Libya, Malta and Sicily.

The incidents of boat people are seen as an ever-growing cause of concern in the Mediterranean and worldwide as noted by the UNHCR. Beyond drowning, often migrants are killed or thrown into the sea on purpose by smugglers, which add an ever more dangerous element to the fate of asylum seekers, refugees and economic migrants trying to flee Africa and other regions towards opportunity in other nations. On July 3rd the IMO and UNHCR met in London to address the issue.

With the new EU Presidency of Portugal coming soon to shape the future of EU policy, Lisbon has stated publicly that there needs to be some real action in addressing illegal immigration. With countries like Spain, Portugal, Malta and Italy having to deal with the majority of boat people, the victims, security and ensuring their human rights are met; Portugal challenged the EU to seek a real combined effort in addressing the issue. Many in Southern Europe feel that leaving the problems to be dealt solely by Mediterranean countries where most of the migrants enter the entire EU by sea requires an EU approach and not solely a national effort.

Despite protests from Portugal, the issue of illegal migration is still intertwined with political challenges and administrative red tape in addressing the issue via the EU. With the Portuguese Presidency of the EU and UN now refocusing on the issue, there is some hope that progress will be possible in the near future.

For Other Sea and Migrant Stories:

FPA Migration Middle East and Africa
FPA Migration Europe

With the fate of many African migrants often being one of death from the failure of rickety boats used to move them towards the European coast, nervous smugglers ejecting their “clients” during the journey, or just a lack of action from receiving countries to save stranded migrants from drowning, there has been some recent progressive measures to reduce illegal immigration to Spain, or at least reduce the risk of those who will eventually make the journey.

Spain and Senegal signed and agreement to help combat illegal immigration until the 30th of June 2008 by working together in reducing the numbers of migrants fleeing Senegalese ports towards the Spanish Canary Islands. The agreement has paid dividends and as a result there has already been a reduction of boats from 901 in 2006, to only 101 in the first half of 2007.

Cooperation between Senegal and Spain has not been adopted solely via setting up common barriers. A number of Spanish businessmen have opted to go to Senegal directly and offer working visas to many of Senegal’s brightest young people who often have to use rickety boats and deal with organized mafia to get to Spain illegally. Often many of the young Senegalese do not survive the journey, or lose their money to unscrupulous individuals who leave them bankrupt with no way out of their country. Some of Spain’s entrepreneurs understand that many would come illegally and often are solely seeking employment to feed their families and make a better life. With institutional supports in Spain and opportunities to work, more than 500 Senegalese have taken the low risk option to come and work in Spain.

While the limited actions of the Spanish Government and businessmen are a very progressive approach towards addressing illegal immigration, an overall grand push in addressing the issue is needed. On the 25th of June 2007 the EU announced 380 million Euros in funding to assist migrant home countries in increasing security against illegal immigration. Similar to the cooperation agreement between Spain and Senegal, the EU will work on future frameworks to reduce illegal immigration from its source and curb unnecessary deaths for those economic migrants coming to the EU from Africa. While illegal migrations and deaths are certain to continue, there seems to be at least some small and ever growing efforts in addressing the immigration problems and rights of migrants coming to Spain and the EU.

German news magazine, Der Spiegel, has an in-depth look at the illegal immigrants that are the backbone of much of Europe’s farming sector, ensuring that even Norway has the tomatoes, zucchini and strawberries throughout the winter.

Most of the workers on the plantations are illegal immigrants, those that have risked life and limb travelling to Spain from African coastal countries in overcrowded fishing boats. The promised land many of these migrants dreamed of remains far out of reach, as they sell themselves into modern day slavery to ensure that Europeans further up North have cheap unseasonal fruits and vegetables. The thousands of migrants needed to keep the multi-million Euro business alive are left to their own devices, building makeshift shelters from bits of plastic and tarp between the greenhouses, without access to clean water or sanitation. Under constant fear of expulsion, the migrants sometimes work twice the hours fixed in union contracts under difficult conditions, inhaling the pesticides they work with and living among the hazardous fumes. And that’s not all: farming towns in Spain have become overwhelmed with migrants, making them easy targets for racist violence.

The article highlights villages like El Ejido, which have seen enormous growth over the past 20 years, as the plantations turned one of Spain’s poorest regions into a boom area. The town now counts 76,000 inhabitants, but the addition of 80,000 illegal migrants to keep the production going has sparked racial hate crimes in recent months. In a recent incident, the police only stepped in once the angry mob threatned to lynch a group of Marrocan migrants. Mayor Juan Enciso Ruiz supports the overall sentiment: “Yes to immigrants, but outside the city.”

Thus, migrants remain relegated to the outskirts of society, modern-day slaves without rights subject to direct and indirect abuse.