Spanish lawmakers passed an immigration reform bill Thursday that would crack down on people entering the country illegally and make it harder for foreigners with residency to bring over their relatives.
The Socialist government, which sponsored the bill, said it needs to curb immigration because of an economic recession that has led to a 17.9 percent unemployment rate in Spain _ the highest in the EU _ leaving less room for foreign workers.
The legislation, however, also establishes new rights for some immigrants, such as unaccompanied children and young workers.
The bill won passage in the lower chamber of Parliament, the Congress of Deputies, by a vote of 185 in favor, 146 against and 4 abstentions. Opposition conservatives voted against, describing the bill as not tough enough.
It now goes to the Senate, where amendments are likely before the bill returns to the lower chamber for a final vote before it becomes a law.
"In this country we are not going to expel anyone, and even less so if they are working," Labor and Immigration Minister Celestino Corbacho said in September. But, he added, "immigration must be legal, orderly, aboveboard and linked to the needs of the labor market."
Immigrants working in construction and other low-paying fields were critical to a decade-long Spanish economic bonanza that evaporated about two years ago after the collapse of debt-fueled building and consumption. Now, immigrant groups complain they are made a scapegoat for Spain's woes.
About 4.5 million immigrants live in Spain legally, making up about 12 percent of the population. The government has no figure for how many others are here without residency papers.
One of the new measures would raise from 40 to 60 the number of days police can hold people caught entering Spain illegally, so officials have more time to identify and expel them.
Many destitute Africans who arrive on small crowded boats come without passports so they cannot be identified. That way, Spain does not know where to send them back. After 40 days, the government has to release them.
The proposed new law would also limit the practice under which foreigners with residency permits bring over their relatives to live in Spain. Currently, an immigrant who has been in Spain legally for at least a year can bring their spouse, parents and children under the age of 18.
Under the proposed reform, only immigrants who have lived in Spain for at least five years and obtained a permanent residency can bring in family members, and in the case of their parents they must be 65 or older.
However, relatives who are brought over and are at least 16 will automatically get a work permit, a perk that does not exist now.
Also, unaccompanied children arriving in Spain could be taken in by non-governmental organizations while authorities decide whether to repatriate them. Currently, they fall under the custody of courts and police.
