Latest news with #ElmaSaiz
Morocco World
4 days ago
- Politics
- Morocco World
Spain Calls for United Action Amid Spike in Online Hate Against North Africans
Rabat – Spain has launched an appeal calling for a united action to end the threat to social cohesion amid hate speech targeting North Africans, particularly Moroccans. The disturbing wave of violence against North Africans, including Moroccans, has been ongoing since last week in Torre Pacheco in southeastern Spain, after an isolated assault against a Spanish retiree. The Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia, under the Ministry of Inclusion, published a June monthly report, monitoring hate speech on social media. The report said that the AI-based system FARO detected over 54,000 instances of hate speech during this period, noting a 12-point increase in hate messages targeting people from North Africa. This shows an increase from 69% in May to 81% in June of all reported content, noting that the wave of hostility coincides with various sociopolitical and sporting events like riots following the Champions League final. Minister of Inclusion Elma Saiz described the use of violence and coded language as dehumanization, recalling the intention to expel vulnerable communities, adding that similar acts are intolerable forms of discrimination. 'We cannot allow hatred to become normalized in a free and democratic society like Spain,' she said. The report highlighted that 56% of the detected content involves dehumanization, while 22% falsely associates the targeted groups with public insecurity, and 14% directly incite their expulsion. The Spanish government cited a partnership between the Ministry of Inclusion and LaLiga, enabling the use of the FARO system. Despite the tool, only 29% of the reported posts were removed by platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X. In July, meanwhile, platforms removed only 8% of reported content from users. 'We need more proactive collaboration from digital platforms,' Saiz said, noting that the response cannot rely on chance or goodwill. 'All platforms must take responsibility for a real and growing threat to social cohesion,' she concluded. Several reports highlighted how parties, including far-right groups, fuel tension and anti-migrant hate as well as Islamophobia. A report by OHCHR said that political leaders 'who only openly use Islamophobia in their public discourses usually belong to far-right Vox or right-wing PP.' Xenophobic hate speech against North African migrants and, more specifically, against migrant unaccompanied minors is mostly used as a political tool by the far-right, it concluded. Tags: African MigrantsMoroccan migrants
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Business Standard
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Spain offers fast-track visas to students denied by US social media rules
Spain is preparing to roll out a fast-track programme to attract foreign students who have been denied or delayed entry into the United States due to their political opinions on social media. The scheme—called EduBridge to Spain comes in response to former US president Donald Trump's recent orders expanding social media vetting for international student visa applicants. According to the Spanish government, the new pathway will simplify enrolment at Spanish universities for those affected by Washington's tougher stance on overseas admissions. The programme is expected to be approved shortly. It promises quicker access to higher education for foreign nationals, including students whose applications to the US have been held up or denied after social media background checks flagged their political views. What EduBridge to Spain includes Under the scheme, eligible students will be able to: Apply for accelerated admission to Spanish universities Enrol temporarily while their diploma recognition is processed Benefit from dedicated international student quotas Get priority appointments at Spanish consulates in the US According to The Local Spain, the Spain-focused edition of The Local, Europe's leading English-language digital news publisher aimed at expats, migrants and international visitors, the fast-track system will also support the transfer of academic records and validation of completed coursework for students midway through degrees in the US. A reaction to tightened US rules In recent months, US embassies have ramped up scrutiny of student visa applications. Many students, especially those perceived to hold left-leaning political views, have faced delays or denials. Although a temporary visa suspension was lifted, pending review of applicants' social media profiles, the uncertainty has prompted many to consider alternatives. The move has not gone unnoticed in Spain. 'Spain wants to be a country where knowledge finds its way — even when others shut the door,' said Elma Saiz, Minister of Migration. She added that consulates in the US would prioritise student visa applications under the new scheme, and Spanish police stations would speed up issuing Foreigner Identity Cards (TIE) to affected students, professors and researchers. 'Spain wants to be a country where knowledge opens the way, even when others block it. We want to offer these young people the opportunity to continue their education in our country,' said Saiz. €200,000 research grants for US scientists Spain is also trying to attract US-based scientists who feel squeezed out by the Trump administration's policies. The Ministry of Science and Innovation has announced that researchers moving to Spain under a separate initiative will receive an additional €200,000 in project funding. Diana Morant, the science minister, said the scheme would support scientists 'disregarded' in the US. Challenges due to new immigration law However, the programme may face a few hurdles. Spain's new Immigration Law, which came into effect on May 20, brings in additional requirements for student visas. These include shorter initial stay periods before students can apply for residence permits, new timelines for submitting academic progress reports, and stricter conditions around health insurance and housing documentation.
Local Spain
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
TIE cards, Catalan lessons and deportations: Catalonia's new immigration powers
This week the Spanish government reached a deal with Catalan separatists to give greater migration controls to the northern region. The agreement will include expanded powers for Catalan police in border controls, migrant detention centres and residency permits, among other measures. The law still requires full ratification in the Spanish Congress, which means the handover of immigration responsibilities to Catalonia is still far from certain. For supporters of the Socialist-headed national government, this represents a functioning state delegating powers. Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, said this week that 'border control is not being ceded. The Mossos [Catalonia's regional police force] will be present and will act in collaboration with the rest of the state security forces. And that is a sign that the state is functioning.' For critics, however, the move is a further concession from Madrid to separatists propping up Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's fragile coalition in Congress. The transfer of immigration powers fulfils another major demand of pro-independence party Junts per Catalunya. Celebrating the agreement as a step on the way to independence, exiled Junts party leader Carles Puigdemont said from Brussels: "Our political system and our institutional system will manage a power that only states exercise.' Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition centre-right Partido Popular, described the deal as an "unprecedented humiliation" for Spain that serves to "widen inequality between Spaniards." Far-left Podemos, the former junior coalition partner in government, has also attacked the deal and raised doubts about whether its deputies will support it in a vote. It should be noted here that despite their outsized influence in the national Congress, in particular their ability to essentially block government legislation and, neither of Catalonia's two major separatist parties (Junts and the left-wing Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya) are in power in the Generalitat. In August 2024 the Catalan Socialists won regional elections and removed the independence majority, ending years of separatist dominance and, according to some, finally moving on from the independence Procés. That is to say, despite the granting of these bolstered immigration powers, they will, for now, be implemented by a non-separatist Generalitat. So what immigration powers could Catalonia gain? Border controls One of the headline measures in the deal is that Mossos d'Esquadra will partly take power over border and security controls in airports and ports in the region. As Saiz was keen to highlight, this will be done in coordination with Spain's national police body, so is therefore not a total transfer of powers. The Mossos will, despite taking on new roles, still be adhering to state law. The deal also includes an increase of 1,800 Mossos agents, taking the force to a total of 26,800 officers. Residency permits and TIE cards The regional authority will also take some control of managing and issuing residency permits and TIE, the foreign identity cardsin Spain. Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia reports that the regional government will reportedly set up a "one-stop shop" for the issuing of long-term stay, temporary residency, long-term residence permits and NIEs (foreigner identity numbers). Deportations and migrant detention centres Catalonia will now also be responsible for control of migrant detention centres and deporting undocumented migrants. The Generalitat will also manage the controversial Internment Centre for Foreigners (CIE) in Barcelona, the only one in the region. If the law is passed, the Catalan administration will be in charge of the direction, coordination, management and inspection of the centre, which is currently run by the Interior Ministry. The Catalan government will be given powers to appoint public employees at the centre, including security, health, social, legal, cultural and linguistic services. Learning Catalan On that theme, Junts is also pushing for rules to make residency conditional on a Catalan language requirement. Party spokeswoman Miriam Nogueras told Spanish state TV that foreigners may need to prove a certain level of Catalan in order to be eligible for residency, and did not make any distinction between EU and non-EU migrants. "We are in Catalonia, and in Catalonia, there is an official language, which is Catalan. In the same way that if you go to live in France, the condition is to learn French," Nogueras said.
Local Spain
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Residency permits for 'integrated' irregular migrants in Spain soar
New figures have revealed that the number of arraigo permits, a type of residency permit given out to formerly undocumented immigrants in Spain, has increased by 500 percent in just a decade. In 2013 there were just 43,858 foreigners with one of Spain's four types of arraigo (social, educational, labour and family) but by 2023 that figure had increased to 239,084, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. This was the headline figure highlighted by Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz, in the presentation of a report of the Strategic Framework for Citizenship and Inclusion against Racism and Xenophobia 2023-2027. Spanish residency can be awarded to non-EU foreigners who have even arrived or lived illegally in the country for providing evidence of social integration and making roots in the country. This is known as permiso de residencia por arraigo in Spanish. Furthermore, in the space of a year, processing times for the arraigo procedure were reduced by 35 percent. This follows further changes by the government to cut the time period necessary to receive an arraigo. The required time in Spain used to be three years, but the government recently reduced it to two years, a modification will come into force on May 20th 2025. Spain is now home to seven million foreign residents, equal to 14 percent of the population. However, despite the growing foreign population and streamlining of residency processes, many still live with social divides compared to native Spaniards. Though Saiz stated that the growth was positive, she also recognised that there are still several 'persistent challenges' for Spain's foreign population. The difference in salary, for example, is €10,000 per year on average. There's also a 20 percent difference in school dropout rates and homelessness affects migrants 7.5 times more than Spaniards. The arraigo is applicable to all those who have been living without the proper residency documents in Spain for two years or more. It is one of the easiest ways to legalise migration status without facing harsh consequences of overstaying or having to leave Spain and re-enter again on a different visa. In order to get one, you must have a genuine connection to Spain. This could be either socially, economically or through familial ties. You must have proof of this such as a job contract, library card, membership to an organisation here, birth certificates of family members, and so on. The main requirements are that you must have been in the country for a period of at least two years and can't have left the country for more than 120 days in that period.
