Less than 24 hours after the Council of Ministers approved the royal decree that will serve to regularize the situation of more than half a million immigrants throughout the State, long queues have returned in the center of Barcelona to obtain all the documentation to carry out the procedures. One of the points where a significant number of people have accumulated is the Citizen Attention Office of Barcelona in Plaça Sant Miquel, next to the cathedral. This Wednesday morning the queue to access this service goes around the building and the complaint that "things are not moving forward" is repeated. Most have been waiting for three hours. Although there are citizens waiting to carry out all kinds of procedures, there are also many people who come to do paperwork to be able to access the regularization process, which begins this Thursday, April 16, remotely.

It has been in force since this morning a measure that affects us closely: the extraordinary regularization of immigrants that the Spanish Council of Ministers approved yesterday.Although the Spanish government has not provided figures by region, the calculations made coincide in stating that Catalonia will be the autonomous community where the most will be regularized, between 135,000 and 150,000 people. 90,000 will do so in the Valencian Community, 60,000 in Madrid and Andalusia, and 18,000 in the Balearic Islands, approximately. In total, in Spain, half a million people who already live here may end up having papers.The Spanish government has tightened the conditions for regularization, as proposed by Junts and the PP, so it will be necessary to present a certificate proving that the applicant has not had a criminal record in the five years prior to the application. The terms of the debate are known.If we talk about politics, with this measure Sánchez acts as an anti-Trump and his police go around hunting and capturing undocumented immigrants. It is Sánchez's way of always playing on the offensive and putting himself at the forefront of global progressivism. For his part, Feijóo moves within predictable terms and says that this regularization is “inhuman, unjust, and insecure”, and finishes by saying “anyone can enter here”. The reality is that both the PP and the PSOE (Aznar, González, Zapatero) approved regularizations.If we speak in humanitarian terms, all entities working with immigrants find it fair, if we don't want thousands of people living among us to live in poverty without any rights. The bishops have also been of the same opinion.If we speak in economic terms, the native population is aging rapidly, birth rates are very low, and immigration is the necessary workforce for a service business model, which is why Spain is growing, with low wages in the tourism and care sectors. In this regard, there is the paradox that employers, the Spanish left-wing government, and bishops are in favor of regularization. Another matter is the debate among economists about whether these new full-fledged citizens are asking for more services than they pay for. Miquel Puig has written about this in ARA. It's the

It has been in force since this morning a measure that affects us closely: the extraordinary regularization of immigrants that the Spanish Council of Ministers approved yesterday.Although the Spanish government has not provided figures by region, the calculations made coincide in stating that Catalonia will be the autonomous community where the most will be regularized, between 135,000 and 150,000 people. 90,000 will do so in the Valencian Community, 60,000 in Madrid and Andalusia, and 18,000 in the Balearic Islands, approximately. In total, in Spain, half a million people who already live here may end up having papers.The Spanish government has tightened the conditions for regularization, as proposed by Junts and the PP, so it will be necessary to present a certificate proving that the applicant has not had a criminal record in the five years prior to the application. The terms of the debate are known.If we talk about politics, with this measure Sánchez acts as an anti-Trump and his police go around hunting and capturing undocumented immigrants. It is Sánchez's way of always playing on the offensive and putting himself at the forefront of global progressivism. For his part, Feijóo moves within predictable terms and says that this regularization is “inhuman, unjust, and insecure”, and finishes by saying “anyone can enter here”. The reality is that both the PP and the PSOE (Aznar, González, Zapatero) approved regularizations.If we speak in humanitarian terms, all entities working with immigrants find it fair, if we don't want thousands of people living among us to live in poverty without any rights. The bishops have also been of the same opinion.If we speak in economic terms, the native population is aging rapidly, birth rates are very low, and immigration is the necessary workforce for a service business model, which is why Spain is growing, with low wages in the tourism and care sectors. In this regard, there is the paradox that employers, the Spanish left-wing government, and bishops are in favor of regularization. Another matter is the debate among economists about whether these new full-fledged citizens are asking for more services than they pay for. Miquel Puig has written about this in ARA. It's the

In Spain, the process of obtaining residency and work permits is so cumbersome and complicated that carrying out extraordinary regularization processes has already become a custom. The goal is to end administrative bottlenecks and pockets of irregular immigration that, in turn, fuel the black economy and the perpetuation of situations of social vulnerability. These regularizations have been carried out by socialist and popular governments. There were them in 1986, 1991, and 1996 under Felipe González, in 2000 and 2001 under José María Aznar, and in 2005 and 2006 under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The last one, therefore, was twenty years ago, before the migratory boom after the global recession of 2008-2012.

On the occasion of the extraordinary regularization announced by the government, autonomous communities such as Catalonia or the Basque Country have proposed that the completion of a certain number of hours for learning the Catalan language or the Basque language be included as a requirement for future renewals.Territories with their own language, such as Catalonia, face the challenge of keeping alive a language whose use is declining, especially in the metropolitan area and among the young population. Faced with this reality, immigration is seen as the main culprit and, consequently, many policies aimed at promoting its learning fall upon it. However, it is worth clarifying several issues here. Firstly, the use of the language decreases because its transmission as a mother tongue also decreases: demographically there are fewer Catalan speakers with an initial language in absolute numbers. Another of the elements to take into account is the difference between knowledge of the language and its social and daily use. According to the Survey of Linguistic Uses, 93% of the population over 15 years of age understands Catalan and 80% can speak it. These data show that Catalan is a living language from the point of view of its knowledge and that the policy of vehicular language in schools guarantees with great success that new generations achieve linguistic competence, and can potentially communicate in Catalan. However, the problems are found in the social and daily use of the language, because only 36% of people have it as their usual language.

Isabela doesn't want to think about what will become of her life if she cannot avail herself of the extraordinary regularization that the Spanish government is to launch in the coming weeks to grant residence permits to half a million foreigners who meet criteria that, at present, are provisional. The decree approved by Pedro Sánchez's executive still has to go through the Council of State to return once more to the council of ministers. Although there are unknowns about how the fine print will turn out, Isabela is sure that hers is an impossible mission because the relevant 10 years have not passed since she completed her sentence to be able to annul her criminal record and, in the draft of the text, any stain on the criminal record is invalidating.

The picture of a Spain with closed borders to immigration paints a picture of an aging society, but also of significant losses, both in population and in the workforce in essential sectors such as care, education, and healthcare. There would also be an inevitable increase in taxes and even the closure of schools, bars, shops, and farms. This almost dystopian scenario answers the following question: what would Spain be like in 2075 if migration flows were reduced by 30%, following the restrictive policies implemented by almost all members of the European Union?

The most precious asset of any society is its cohesion, and conversely, the worst threat is its fragmentation. The debate on immigration, which we are now beginning, must therefore focus on this issue.

The repeated public debates about who is Catalan, or what it means to be Catalan, have little to do with wanting to understand Catalan society. These are discussions that arise from political confrontations, in which each participant uses their definition to define themselves and distance themselves from the adversary. Therefore, nothing can be known about Catalans and their nation, and all the interest lies in how we are used to further the respective political projects. These are debates that occur intermittently in all nations, but here they are endemic.

The Senate has approved the law on repeat offenders, championed by Junts and adopted by the PSOE government. This law, which had already been passed in the Congress (it will now need to return for final approval), is proudly presented by Junts as a major achievement of the current legislature. It is framed as a tool to combat petty crime, understood as a phenomenon closely linked to immigration. Therefore, it includes a significant tightening of immigration law, with new requirements for obtaining a residence permit, as well as the typical increase in penalties, such as three years in prison for petty theft, etc.

A 34-year-old worker at the meat processing company Embutidos Monells, in Sant Miquel de Balenyà (Osona), died on Monday after becoming trapped while operating a machine. It is a company that produces 45% of the bacon sold throughout SpainThe company also specializes in cooked ham, turkey, and cured pork loin. It works with all supermarket chains, and 65% of its products are sold sliced. The company's CEO, Maria Àngels Sebastià, confirmed the accident to the newspaper ARA but declined to provide further information because "it is under investigation by the competent authorities." "We are deeply saddened and deeply regret the loss," she emphasized. The incident occurred around 6:30 a.m. So far, only the worker's age—34—has been released; his nationality has not been specified. The Embutidos Monells factory in Sant Miquel de Balenyà employs approximately 650 people, 55% of whom are foreign nationals from forty different countries. In addition, the company has another production plant in Les Masies de Voltregà, also in Osona, with another 150 workers. Emergency Medical Service (SEM) personnel were dispatched to the factory, but were unable to save the worker's life. Citizen security and investigation patrols from the Vic police station of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police) were also dispatched and reported the accident to the duty magistrate in Vic and the Catalan Government's Department of Business and Labor.

There was anticipation this Thursday at the Círculo de Economía (Circle of Economy) to hear from the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and spokesperson for the Spanish government, Elma Saiz, as she was to speak on a topic that generates political and demagogic controversy: immigration. This very forum, chaired by Teresa Garcia-Milà, issued an opinion piece a few days ago calling for a moderation of the arrival of immigrants and its alignment with a new economic model based on greater productivity. It also demanded a "genuine immigration policy." Saiz, accustomed to touting the achievements of Pedro Sánchez's government (she even conveniently used this to conclude her statements to journalists before entering with a Not in war), he didn't completely satisfy when questioned.

Since 2019, the absolute value added (GVA) – an indicator similar to gross domestic product that measures the level of economic activity in a region – of the Osona region has grown by 7.1%. This rate is significantly higher than the Catalan average (2.7%) and is only surpassed by Garrotxa (8.4%) and Gironès (7.3%), according to the latest data.Regional economic yearbookfrom BBVA. This economic progress is largely due to the strength of the meat industry, which boasts giants in the sector. It is estimated that around 30,000 pigs are slaughtered daily in the region's abattoirs, a task that, surprisingly, is still largely done manually. Therefore, there is a strong demand for labor in Osona, primarily supplied by the foreign population, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, while in 2015 three out of every ten workers were foreign, now it is six out of ten.

The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration and spokesperson for the Spanish government, Elma Saiz, vehemently defended the extraordinary regularization program announced by the Executive. In a conversation with the president of the Círculo de Economía (Circle of Economy), Teresa Garcia-Milà, she stated that "orderly and integrated immigration is the key to sustaining economic prosperity in the coming decades." In response to questions from Garcia-Milà, she applauded the fact that some autonomous communities, such as Catalonia, are demanding powers regarding immigration within the constitutional framework. She acknowledged that there are issues, such as healthcare and others, that require local management. Saiz participated in the Cercle after the organization published an opinion piece a few days ago calling for the regulation of migration flows and their adaptation to an economic model based on improving productivity. The minister, who congratulated the Catalan organization for opening the debate on the issue, noted that the people who will be eligible for regularization "are already here" and rejected claims by some political groups that the new arrivals will overwhelm public services. The data, she added, shows that they do not overwhelm public services, but rather "contribute to sustaining them." It is, in any case, the responsibility of public administrations to size public services according to the population, the Spanish government spokesperson said. She asserted that "when immigration is managed well, it is not a threat but an opportunity for growth and for strengthening democratic society."

Most Catalans overestimate the presence of immigrants in the region, according to the latest survey by the Center for Opinion Studies (CEO). In fact, the assessment, published this Thursday, confirms that the idea is spreading that the percentage of the population born abroad is practically equal to that of the native population. In response to the question, "Out of every 100 residents, how many would you say were born outside of Spain?", 40% of Catalans believe that half or more of their neighbors are foreign-born, and 14% believe that between 30% and 40% are. However, the average perception of those surveyed—that 36% of the population is immigrant—falls far short of the actual figure: those born outside of Spain make up 25% of the total population, according to data from Idescat published on January 1, 2025.

Josep Sala i Cullell is a geography teacher at a high school in Norway. His first essay, Plug generation, It sparked some controversy when addressing generational power struggles. Now it returns with We are not 6 million (Portico), A book in which he calls for open discussion about immigration and criticizes the fact that we have been sold, as inevitable, a model designed to favor employers and harm workers.

Throughout my schooling, I was one of the few children of immigrants in the classroom. My parents came from Morocco, and I was born and raised in Barcelona. Like so many Catalans, I grew up watching and enjoying Club Super3, where they aired shows like... Dragon Ball and DoraemonThanks to this audiovisual content, many of us children who didn't come from Catalan-speaking families became familiar with Catalan, which is now part of our identity. Growing up as children of immigrants isn't easy. You're born into a very complicated economic and social reality, sometimes compounded by episodes of discrimination and racism. Like many young people who have shared the same baggage, we became aware of the importance of education as a way to progress socially and aspire to a better life. Now, little by little, the result of these individual efforts is allowing many of us to become teachers, doctors, writers, and engineers. Now that I work as a secondary school teacher, I find that classrooms are more culturally diverse than in my day, but I'm still one of the few children of immigrants who are teachers. According to data from the Statistical Institute of Catalonia, 225,000 students in the education system are foreign-born. This figure doesn't include all Catalan students with immigrant roots. Students with a migratory background are the group that presentsMore school failure in CataloniaThis phenomenon refers to students who do not obtain their ESO (Compulsory Secondary Education) diploma. Andreu Domingo and Jordi Bayona are two researchers who have analyzed this phenomenon. In their research, they differentiate between foreign students born outside Catalonia and Catalan students with an immigrant parent. Regarding foreign students, their poor results are explained by their late entry into the education system, which makes it difficult for them to adapt. Both researchers focus on understanding why Catalan students with foreign roots obtain worse academic results. The socioeconomic problems they face are one of the reasons. Another point to highlight is the direct correlation between a higher concentration of students of foreign origin in certain schools and a high rate of academic failure. This leads to what the authors call the "neighborhood effect," in which the negative circumstances of the student's environment influence their academic performance and future prospects. Ultimately, they end up reproducing the social conditions and inequalities of their parents, and their situation of poverty and social stagnation becomes chronic, with little room for improvement.

Babou Cham (Gambia, 1974) is a theater, film, and television actor. He can currently be seen on tour in The storm, from the company La Perla 29, on February 28 in Manacor, on March 6 in Reus, on March 14 in Tarragona and on March 15 in Igualada.

When he was three years old, his father left for England, but stopped halfway, in Mataró. "He was going to study in England, but he stayed temporarily in the Maresme region and started helping other people who were also coming here, and many of them did make it to England, and some to Sweden and Denmark."

]]>

The Catalan government is considering creating a fund to finance municipalities based on their migrant population, aiming to improve their reception services and reduce their dependence on subsidies. This is one of the proposals from the Committee of Experts for Social Transformation and Innovation (CETIS) of the Department of Social Rights, which presented a report on Monday detailing the situation of the 1.4 million foreigners living in Catalonia, a country with a population of 8 million. The Catalan Fund for Reception and Inclusion seeks to provide Catalan mayors with more tools to better plan for the arrival of immigrants, offering them a fixed budget that goes beyond the current subsidy programs and ad hoc plans that often end without having delivered the desired results because, quite simply, the expected results have been achieved. At the presentation of the report, the Minister of Social Rights, Mònica Martínez Bravo, indicated that the fund could be integrated into the new program for local governments, and that the Generalitat's future budgets, if approved, will include additional funding to support this group, following the agreement between the PSC and Comuns parties. The fund proposal is still just an idea, but it has the backing of the Minister, who declined to specify which public policies or initiatives it might finance. In this regard, she referred to the fact that municipalities are aware of the real "needs" of each town in order to decide how to invest the funds. At a time when far-right groups are fighting policies that promote social cohesion, the Minister stated that the Catalan Government will be "very vigilant in ensuring compliance with the law" in those local councils that attempt to circumvent the law and discriminate against or criminalize migrants.

]]>

The GDP of the Catalan and Spanish economies has been growing at double the rates of the major European economies for several years, unemployment is falling, and inflation is trending toward the 2% target. Clearly, the macroeconomic figures paint a picture of a thriving economy. However, there is a growing perception among citizens and businesses that things aren't as good as they seem on the ground; rather, there's a general feeling that economic and social problems are piling up and that, despite the positive figures, things aren't quite working. More importantly, there's a sense that action is needed to prevent things from getting worse.

]]>