It's very difficult to talk about immigration. First of all, I have to say that I'm immigrant (a legal one) in Spain. Spain, as most of the developed countries is having a lot of trouble with immigration. It's difficult to deal with it. I think that more regulation is needed over immigration. There should be a control over the people who get into the country, and if they're not citizens (in the case of Europe, non-EU citizens) they should come with job, in order to keep them away from delinquency which may eventually result from not finding a job. So there should be a strict control with the people who enter through the airport: Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between regular tourists and potential immigrants so there should be a registry that records the date of the income and the day they should get away -usually in three months-; there should also be a requirement of having some amount of money that is enough to live during that period (I think this already happens, though I'm not sure of it).
But there is a problem: There is no control over ALL the people who enter. Some of them come from the sea (from Africa) and some other from the borders (where is no control because of the European Union thing). So those people won't appear on the registry and without identification, it's hard to deport them or something.
In conclusion, as I say in the begining, it's quite difficult to think about what can be done about immigration, and how to be fair with everyone. There must be some changes and there must be no compassion with illegal ones if what people want is to have a safety and integrated country.


Originally posted by Tiikeri
Like the issue with loads and loads of Brits moving to Spain to buy "homes in the sun". Most of them really really annoy me, because they just move out there and couldn't care less whether they speak Spanish or not. Now my Spanish is abismal, but compared to some people who actually live there, it's awesome. And a lot of Spanish people are feeling the same way, they can't even communicate to people in their own language in their own country because most of them are Brits who have the "a cannae be ahrsed speekin sparnish cuz the'all speek english" attitude. And actually, that isn't true, they only know a few words. Spain is becoming a second England...especially on the coasts. And I'm sure the Spanish wouldn't mind that, as long as the people who move to live there at least try and make the effort to show their language some respect. [/B]
Well, the situation described actually happens and I have seen it with my own eyes. Last summer on the beach I've been to, every bar or pub was either English or German, and I know of a lot of places that are like that. But I don't see that kind of immigration harmful. I mean, they bring profits to Spain's economy, since they spend money they bring from foreign countries, and they keep alive the building industry which is one of Spain's most important sectors in it's economy. So I don't think it's bad. What it may be bad it's, as you say, the attitude, 'cause if you go to the beach you can't talk with other people and it's like you're in another country. And yes, I think they should try at least to learn some Spanish. But this is just a "moral" issue, and what it's a topic to debate is how to deal with illegal immigrants and the consequences of them.