The consequences of the economic crunch on migrants

The daily Le Temps reflects on the growing unemployment among migrants in Spain as a result of the economic crisis. "The Spanish Eldorado is a thing of the past. For a good ten years Spain was the major country of immigration in the EU. But today the crisis is here and unemployment has risen to spectacular heights. ... The construction industry is in ruins. And immigrants (one quarter of all construction labourers) are the first victims. This year they represent over 40 percent of new job-seekers. ... You could say people's view of Latin Americans, Moroccans and Romanians has changed radically. Beforehand they were seen as those who could rejuvenate an aging population, fill the social insurance coffers and revive the economy. Now they are considered a ball and chain. ... Even the government of José Luis Zapatero, which long pampered them, now sees them as undesirable."

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