Interview: Immigration in times of Covid-19

Carolina Montoro, Senior Lecturer at the department of History, History of Art and Geographyand Camila Moreno, Trainee Staff researcher at School of Humanities and Social Sciences, discuss the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the immigrant population in Spain.
 

During the last year, the immigrant population in Spain has experienced a situation of high health vulnerability due to the collapse of health services caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context, the conditions of poverty and marginalisation contribute to greater contagion and make it difficult to access adequate medical care.

At framework of the economic crisis that has hit the country, according to the INE, 1/3 of immigrants will be unemployed in 2021. result This figure is, to a large extent, the result of the collapse of the hotel and catering and tourism sector, where a significant percentage of immigrant jobs are to be found.

This scenario takes on dramatic overtones if we take into account the situation of the most vulnerable migrants, i.e. refugee claimants and victims of human trafficking. The overcrowded conditions to which these people are subjected are the perfect breeding ground for further contagion and the likelihood of death.

However, as Montoro and Moreno point out, the migratory phenomenon will not be slowed down by the pandemic. Due to the economic and health conditions in the most vulnerable countries, migratory pressure could even increase in the coming years. The positive effects of immigration, such as the transformation of the urban landscape and cultural enrichment, are aspects that must be taken into account.

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