topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2135.35 0.75
DAX 6386.58 0.74
IBEX 30 6516.3 -0.41
CAC 40 3077.17 0.96
FTSE 100 5402.24 0.95
AEX 295.54 0.95
DJIA 12454.83 -0.60
Nasdaq 2837.53 -0.07
FTSE MIB 13213.57 0.45
TSX Composite 11576.47 0.09
ASX 4120.2 0.96
Hang seng 18800.99 0.47
Straits Times 2787.22 0.52
ISEQ 20 503.36 0.48
You are here: Home News Spanish News Spanish parliament approves controversial immigration law

Spanish News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


30/10/2009Spanish parliament approves controversial immigration law

Spain's lower house of parliament has approved a controversial law that allows illegal immigrants to be held in detention centres for 60 days before being deported.

Madrid – Spain's lower house of parliament has approved a controversial law which extends from 40 to 60 days the maximum period that illegal immigrants can be held in detention centres before being deported.

The draft law also imposes restrictions on parents joining their immigrant children in Spain, which has seen the unemployment rate soar to nearly 18 percent, the highest level in the European Union.

It now goes to the Senate, the upper house of parliament, and if it passes as expected the new rules will take effect in 2010.

The draft law has drawn widespread criticism from Latin America, from where the bulk of Spain's immigrants come from as well as from rights groups who point out it allows illegal immigrants to be held for longer than criminal suspects.

But the conservative opposition Popular Party accuses the Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's of not doing enough to curb illegal immigration.

Spain's secretary of state for immigration, Consuelo Rumi, said the law was "modern, has integrity, was in favour of integration, reinforces the efficiency of the fights against illegal immigration and puts the focus on order, control and legality."

The new law comes at a time of mounting concern over immigration in Spain, which entered into its first recession in 15 years at the end of last year.

One in two Spaniards, 46 percent, see immigration as a serious threat, according to a 2008 poll by the Real Instituto Elcano think tank.

The number of immigrants in Spain has rocketed from 500,000 in 1996 to 5.5 million in 2008 out of a total population of 46.7 million people.

Romanians make up Spain's largest foreign community with 796,576 members, followed by Moroccans with 710,401 members and Ecuadorians with 413,715.

AFP/ Expatica


1 reaction to this article

MICHEEMA posted: 2009-10-31 17:01:40

By passing such laws, now spain is moving to worlds third world approach.

Add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating



1 reaction to this article

MICHEEMA posted: 2009-10-31 17:01:40

By passing such laws, now spain is moving to worlds third world approach.

Add a comment
Discussion Forums

Technology in Spain

Sat phones/internet links

English in Spain

What is the best travel insurance cover to Spain?

American in Spain

U.S. citizens, plan to vote in 2012? Did you know...

Relocation to Spain

thinking of moving to madrid

Jobs in Spain

Job Agencies or how to find work.

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Expatica's Getting Started section will provide practical information on how you can open a bank account, exchange your driving licence, improve your Spanish, and more.

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Here's a guide to an extensive list of groups and clubs in Madrid for expats, from sports groups to social and family gatherings.

Groups and Clubs around Spain

Groups and Clubs around Spain

A brief introduction to our Tax section for Spain, from help with inheritance tax to accounting advice.

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Here's a short introduction to our Banking section for those living in Spain, from what to ask the experts to opening a Spanish bank account.