Latest news with #MinistryofInclusion
Morocco World
18-07-2025
- 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
Gulf Insider
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Spain Sees 650% Surge In Residency Permits
The number of immigrants living in Spain under family reunification permits has surged by more than 650 percent in the past five years, according to data from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, obtained by The Objective through Spain's Transparency Portal. The figures show that such permits rose from 43,848 in March 2020 to 328,841 by March this ministry clarified that the data refers solely to permits granted, not applications or rejections. These permits are granted to foreigners with close family ties to Spanish citizens or legal residents and typically allow for temporary residence that can be renewed. The growth has been continuous over the period. In 2020, permits remained around 43,000 throughout the year. By December 2021, the figure had increased to 73,625. In 2022, the number rose sharply, ending the year at 148,938. The upward trend continued in 2023, with the total reaching 238,991 by December. In 2024, they reached 312,995 at the end of the year, and by March 2025, there were 328,841 such permits in effect. The rapid growth of family-based permits comes as Spain's left-wing government moves forward with even more liberal immigration reform. In November 2024, the government approved a plan to regularize the status of 900,000 illegal immigrants over three years, with a target of 300,000 regularizations per year. The reform aims to simplify immigration procedures and promote integration into Spanish society and the labor market. It was described by Migration Minister Elma Saiz Delgado as the most comprehensive revision of Spain's immigration law since 2011. This move comes despite growing anti-mass migration sentiment across the country. A poll conducted by the 40dB Institute for El País and Cadena SER last autumn found that 57 percent of Spaniards believe there are 'too many immigrants' in the country. The same survey showed that 75 percent of respondents now associate immigration with negative issues such as crime, insecurity, and pressure on public services. Public concern has risen by 16 percentage points over the past year and a half, coinciding with a surge in migrant arrivals. With the recent corruption scandals at the highest echelons of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government, such practices have also been found within the immigration process. In February, police uncovered a criminal network arranging sham marriages between Spanish women and foreign men seeking residency. Three people, including a lawyer, were arrested for their involvement in the scheme, and authorities seized documentation that prevented 13 fake marriages. Investigators reported that the ringleader charged around €10,000 per client and registered the men at addresses in northern Spain. Also read: Spain's Historic Blackout Blamed On Poor Voltage Control
Ya Biladi
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Spain approves the reception of 3,000 children from the Tindouf camps
The Spanish government has approved the reception of «around 3,000 children» from the Tindouf camps this summer. «At the proposal of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, the Council of Ministers has taken the necessary steps to authorize the temporary stay of Sahrawi minors and issue visas for their chaperones, as part of the 'Holidays in Peace 2025' program», the government said in a statement. Launched in the mid-1990s, the program aims to temporarily host Sahrawi children from the Tindouf camps. Between 2014 and 2024, approximately 34,500 Sahrawi minors benefited from the initiative, according to the same source. The program is coordinated by several associations supporting the Sahrawi people, the National Sahrawi Delegation, and the Sahrawi delegations of various autonomous communities. The Ministries of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration; Foreign Affairs, the European Union, and Cooperation; Interior; Territorial Policy; and Democratic Memory, along with the autonomous communities hosting the children, all participate in this effort. Over the past decade, regions such as Andalusia, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, the Basque Country, and Galicia have been the main hosts for Sahrawi minors under the program. Initially launched in 1979 by Spanish communists, «Holidays in Peace» has since been used by the Polisario to promote its position in Spain. Last year, the Forum of Support for Tindouf Autonomists (FORSATIN) criticized the program, warning about the «uprooting of peace ambassadors». Ten days ago, sources from Spanish intelligence services reported that «dozens of Sahrawis born in the Tindouf camps (Algeria), who had participated in the 'Holidays in Peace' program», were found to be involved with terrorist groups operating in the Sahel, according to the daily La Vanguardia.
Local Spain
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Why waiting times at Spain's immigration offices could get even longer
Processing visas and residency permits could take even longer now due to the fact that extranjería offices are reportedly already "overwhelmed", before new immigration regulations that could worsen the situation considerably. Back in November 2024, Spain announced it was going to make it easier for foreigners to get residency and work permits by approving a series of new immigration reforms, legislation which although good on paper has been met with some doubts by litigators as it could leave some asylum seekers in an increased state of vulnerability. These changes are due to finally come into force this month on May 20th. The new rules are designed to supposedly simplify the regularisation process for migrants living in Spain illegally, as well as making it easy for people to change to different residency options. For example, it will allow foreigners who have studied in Spain to move more easily from a study visa to a residence and work permit. At the same time, however, all this extra paperwork will also greatly increase the workload of administrators. Spanish trade union Comisiones Obreras has even called for a strike due to a "lack of resources" to implement these new regulations, as well as a steep increase in the workload. 'We denounce the unsustainable workload, the precarious working conditions of public employees, and the disastrous management, which is leaving thousands of citizens trapped in a bureaucratic labyrinth with no way out," the union said in a recent statement. The strikes will take place from 12:30 to 2:30pm at all immigration offices in Spain next Tuesday May 19th, one day before the regulations come into effect. In essence, understaffed, overworked and underpaid extranjería staff are fearful of the sheer volume of residency processes immigration officers they are going to have to carry out. Catalan authorities alone say they are looking at regularising the residency and work papers of 200,000 migrants in two years. To make matters worse, just days before the reform of the Immigration Regulations comes into effect, Spain's Ministry of Inclusion has made several amendments to the rules. While these aim to clarify the interpretation of the new regulations, it is also causing more confusion among extranjería workers. Even before the new reforms come into force, long waiting times, trouble getting appointments (citas previas) and phones that are never answered have been chronic issues at many of Spain's extranjería offices. This was recently brought to light by an article in Cadena Ser, where they reported how in order to process an appointment to obtain protected status at Valencia's foreigner office, you have to call on only one particular day of the week at a specific time. Obstacles such as these leave many foreigners in limbo and vulnerable. Appointments are so hard to come by due to the fact that 'mafia' gangs are blocking them all with the help of computer bots and then selling them to desperate foreigners, when in reality appointments should be completely free. For years, Spanish authorities have been unable to stamp out this scam. As Spain's population continues to increase largely due to the arrival of more documented and undocumented foreigners, an already overstretched and trouble-ridden immigration department will have to deal with a sizable increase in its workload, something that is certain to reflect in waiting times for foreigners.
Morocco World
17-03-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Moroccan Workers Lead Foreign Social Security Contributors in Spain
Rabat – Moroccans have topped the list of foreign resident workers enrolled in Spain's social security system, according to official data from the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration. As of February 2025, a total of 350,433 Moroccan workers were registered with Spanish social security, making them the largest foreign contributor group. This data places Moroccans ahead of Romanians (335,223), Colombians (220,030), Italians (192,544), and Venezuelans (178,187). The total number of foreign workers contributing to Spanish social security reached 2,874,398 in February. This figure represents an increase of 31,369 contributors (1.1%) compared to the previous month. Foreign contributors to Spain's social security have nearly 69% (1,975,868) coming from non-EU countries, while 31.2% (898,529) are from European Union member states. The report also points out the significant presence of 73,231 Ukrainian workers in the system, which marks a 54% increase (+25,653) since January 2022, an increase that followed the eruption of the Russo-Ukrainian war. When adjusted for seasonal factors, foreign enrollment in the social security system grew by 15,804 people in February compared to January, reaching a historic high of 2,971,811 employed individuals — 7.6% more than the same period last year. Read also: Wafira Expands as 17,807 Moroccan Women Join Seasonal Work in Spain The ministerial report noted that foreign workers have played a crucial role in Spain's employment growth. The system added 604,592 foreign workers since 2022 — a 26.6% increase. Notably, foreign workers account for 44.1% of all new jobs created in Spain over the past three years. This data shows the significant contribution of immigrant communities, particularly Moroccans, to Spain's labor market and social security system, elevating their integral role in the country's economic landscape. 'Wafira' – meaning 'abundance' in Arabic – is a program created in joint collaboration between Morocco and Spain in the labor field. The initiative's first phase concluded with 209 successful women entrepreneurs and 17,807 seasonal workers recruited for 2025. Tags: Moroccan workersMorocco and SpainSocial Security
