Expert Group Meeting on International Migration and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean C

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Expert Group Meeting on International Migration
and Development in Latin America and the
CaribbeanCiudad de Mexico, 30 November 2
December 2005

• A socio-political view of international migration
  from Latin America and the Caribbean the case of
  Europe
• João Peixoto
• Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão (ISEG),
  Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal
  and Brown
  University, USA

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Topics

• Immigration in Europe the Latin American and
  Caribbean case
• Europe
• Southern Europe (Spain, Portugal and Italy)
• The social and political framework of Latin
  American and Caribbean immigration in Europe
• Europe
• Southern Europe (Spain, Portugal and Italy)

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• Main flows from LAC countries to Europe since the
  Second World War
• Colonial and post-colonial flows from the
  Caribbean to the UK, France and Netherlands
• Politically induced flows from LAC towards many
  European countries (particularly Nordic and
  Iberian countries)
• Economic migrations, mainly since the 1980s,
  towards Southern Europe
• Immigrantss characteristics, motivations,
  strategies, legal status and contexts of
  reception have varied deeply

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• Main recent inflows
• All Spanish-speaking LAC countries to Spain - two
  immigration waves
• From South America mainly Argentina, Chile and
  Uruguay, since the 1970s (better economic and
  social integration)
• From Andean and Caribbean countries mainly
  Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, since the 1990s
• Brazil to Portugal - two immigration waves
• The first since the 1980s (displaying better
  integration)
• The second since the late 1990s (from lower
  social origins)
• Some LAC countries to Italy Peru, Brazil and
  Dominican Republic

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The social and political framework of immigration
in Europe

• The gradual transformation of Europe into a
  continent of immigration
• Mass migrations after the WW2, from increasingly
  varied destinations
• Settlement of migrants the failure of the
  guestworker system
• Incorporation of immigrants in the less desirable
  segments of the labour market
• Frequent discrimination, social tensions

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• Change in the immigration patterns after the
  mid-1970s
• Family reunion, asylum-seekers, irregular
  immigrants
• Immigrants used as a flexible labour force
  increasing vulnerability
• Recent challenges
• Reluctance of public opinions (multicultural and
  multiethnic challenges, unemployment, insecurity,
  uncertainty)
• Policy dilemmas

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• The gradual politicization of immigration issues
  in Europe
• Restrictive policies control as a symbolic and
  factual policy resource
• Tentative integration policies the need for an
  effective social inclusion
• Convergence vs singularity of national
  immigration policies
• Convergence of immigration policies in the
  American and European context
• European Union steps towards a common policy
• Persistence of national prerogatives

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The social and political framework of immigration
in Southern Europe

• Recent migration turnaround (since the 1980s)
• Reasons for strong immigration growth
• Economic development (reinforced by EU structural
  funds and investment)
• Structural role of the informal economy
• Increasing aspirations and levels of education of
  local populations
• Characteristics of the welfare state (weak
  implementation of immigration rules, informal
  economy, privatisation of welfare delivery)
• Role of the family (social reproduction, economic
  production)

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• Economic incorporation of immigrants,
  particularly LAC ones
• Highly skilled jobs a minority, mainly from the
  first LAC waves
• Low skilled segments a majority lowest paid,
  more precarious and lowest socially ranked jobs
• Main sectors construction, domestic service,
  personal services (sales, catering and tourism),
  street-hawkers, industrial manufacturing,
  agriculture and sex industry
• Frequent ethnic and gendered segmentation of the
  labour market

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• Immigrants characteristics (LAC)
• Increased female participation (women as active
  and independent migrants the growth of
  transnational families)
• In many cases considerable degrees of education
  (migrants coming from middle classes or youth
  elites)
• Social integration (LAC)
• First waves better economic and social
  integration, frequent access to local citizenhip
• Second waves lesser integration, many
  undocumented migrants

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• Contexts of social reception
• Positive aspects
• Feeling of reciprocity with emigration countries
• Cultural and linguistic affinities with LAC
  countries, reinforced in the case of family ties
• Non competition in the labour market
• Recent democratic tradition of Iberian countries
• Important pro-immigrant sectors in the civil
  society trade unions, Catholic Church and NGOs,
  besides employers
• ?
• These aspects may explain some social tolerance
  and the nearly absence of extreme-right,
  anti-immigrant political parties

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• Negative aspects
• Objective discrimination, at the dailylife or at
  the workplace
• Level of public acceptance is decreasing since
  the 1990s
• Upsurge in immigration numbers
• Concerns with national identity and culture
• Concerns with employment
• Fears of insecurity and links with criminality
• Recent terrorist events

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• Immigration policy hesitant and driven by
  contradictory demands
• Immigration control
• Restrictive stand
• EU obligations (the concern about porous EU
  external borders)
• Several policy attempts forceful visa policy,
  establishment of quotas, bilateral agreements,
  combat to illegal immigration/employment
• Sucessive amnesties since the mid-1980s

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• Immigrants integration several, although
  undecided and wandering, attempts
• Access to basic rights
• Right to family reunion (recent EU directive)
• Combat to discrimination
• Partnerships at the local level
• Councils and special official bodies dealing with
  integration
• Some tentative access to political rights
• Many of the rights are assigned only to legal
  immigrants

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• Contradictory pressures above governments
• Economic and demographic need of migration
• Negative social attitudes
• ?
• Although important differences exist between
  right-wing and left-wing political parties, a
  restrictive immigrant stand exists in mainstream
  politics

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• The LAC specificity in the Southern European
  immigration context
• Better acceptance from public opinion cultural,
  linguistic and family ties
• LAC immigrants are hardly perceived as
  foreigners in Spain
• A rhetoric of brotherhood exists for a longtime
  between Brazil and Portugal
• Frequent claims of citizenship or dual citizenhip
  from LAC individuals in Southern Europe, often
  based in family ties (Spain, Portugal and Italy)

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• Multiple international belongings of Southern
  European nation-states
• EU
• National diasporas
• International privileged relationships
• ?
• The Iberoamerican community of nations (Spain and
  Portugal)
• The community of Lusophone countries (Portugal)

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• Specific policy measures have been enacted
  regarding immigration from LAC countries
• Visa exemption for tourist purposes (Southern
  cone countries)
• Bilateral agreements in the field of immigration
  policy and labour recruitment (some LAC countries
  with Spain)
• Special initiatives for Brazilians in Portugal,
  including a recent amnesty (2003)
• Granting of citizenship for emigrants descent

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Conclusion

• The transformation of Europe into a de facto
  continent of immigration ? multicultural,
  multiethnic and policy challenges
• The economic and demographic need of migration vs
  the reluctance of social reception
• The concern with social exclusion the precarious
  integration of current immigrants (and their
  offspring)
• Southern Europe as a recent but structural
  receiver of immigrants

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• LAC immigrants in Southern Europe
• Historical links, better information, cultural
  and linguistic affinities and family links
  explain recent and future international migration
  paths
• Special links may provide better integration
  (although structural exclusion exists)
• Multiple belongings favour a higher policy
  inclusion (although EU pressures remain)
• Privileged routes do not mean actual migration,
  as the overwhelming presence of LAC immigrants in
  the US suggest