The concept of 'the papers'

Beatriz is Colombian. After six years in Mallorca, she has still not been able to legalize her status. When recounting her experiences for the ARABalears weekly, she summed up her feelings with a phrase that, although it may sound obvious, is worth remembering: "You don't emigrate to be loved. You don't pack up your things and leave your country on a whim." She demands that the authorities guide her progress, not continue to provide her with food that, although she appreciates, she doesn't need. When we focus on immigrants, we leave aside those who hire them illegally, the participants in this underground economy.

The concept of "los papeles" (papers) is a summary and a metaphor for many things. It is the path to a regularized life, not only for those in need, but for society as a whole. With undeclared payments, these workers are not paying contributions, the government does not collect taxes, and it is the employers who benefit from the underground economy. There are people who, if they agree to formalize their "papers," force the employee to pay Social Security. Regularization comes out of the pockets of the workers, who are unable to escape exploitation.

Sociologist David Abril referred to the average income figures for regularized immigrants, around 15,000 euros gross per year. And the questions arise: who can live in a community like the Balearic Islands with that money? Who can pay not just the rent for an apartment, but at least for a room?

Instead of criminalizing immigration and proposing Trumpian (and absurd) deportation measures like those of Vox solely to stir up the hornets' nest of their voting pool, a brave, simple, and firm immigration law is needed. And the means to manage it. We need to ensure that getting an appointment with the Immigration Office doesn't operate like a banana republic, that immigrants aren't treated like second-class citizens. They are forced to pay unscrupulous people for an appointment, out of a natural right to a strong democracy. And no one does anything to correct it. It would be unthinkable for a Spaniard to have to put up with these corrupt methods to renew their ID or passport.

Fortunately, there are people aware of the reality of migration, people who regularize their status, who even pay contributions for a domestic worker who works in their home a few hours a week. Ultra-rightist rhetoric is dismantled with facts. And with information.