MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Return directive” could send 15.000 Uruguayans to jail

According to the latest figures published by the Spanish government there are 86.601 Uruguayans living in that country (44.314 men and 42.287 women) of which 25.761 have Spanish citizen status. However there are another 10 to 15.000 who are undocumented and therefore could be included in the recently approved EU “return directive”.

According to Daniel Caserta, President of the Uruguay House in Madrid the latest decision from the EU has the purpose of creating fear among those thinking to migrate to Europe. "The most dangerous side of the latest directive is that 10.000 Uruguayans could be sent to jail for the only crime of looking for a job", said Caserta. This concern was materialized last week in the Uruguayan Senate resolution, voted unanimously, rejecting the EU "return directive". The latest EU decision ignores basic human rights and particularly the right to international free circulation underlines the resolution. The issue is also top of the agenda for the coming Mercosur summit in Buenos Aires. The Senate statement was well received by Uruguayan organizations in Spain that together with those from other Latinamerican countries are organizing marches and demonstrations under the banner of "No to the Return Directive" and "Yes to the closure of reclusion centers for foreigners". Although the EU directive authorizes country members to hold illegal aliens in these reclusion centers for up to two years, when the bill becomes effective in two years time and in Spain it's limited to 40 days, the Socialist government of Rodriguez Zapatero is planning to double the time span. Furthermore the directive says that expelled illegals can't return to Spain for the next five years and there's fear among Latinamericans that in that period contracting conditions could be modified. Rómulo Correa, president of the Uruguayan residents association of Catalonia argues that the bill is geared to blame immigrants for the current slowdown of Spain and other EU countries' economic situation. All Latinamericans countries have protested the EU return directive not only for infringing basic human rights but because for decades Spaniards, Portuguese, Italians and immigrants from other European countries established themselves in the region with no limitations or restrictions. On the contrary most Latinamerican countries embraced the European influx of immigrants. Some countries, such as Uruguay, have legislation and international bilateral agreements dating back to 1870 encouraging reciprocal migration with Spain with no strings or limits attached.