Emma Martín Díaz

LATIN AMERICAN IMMIGRATION TO SPAIN

On the whole, Latin American migration currently represents the highest percentage of migration into the Spanish state. This situation results from a series of factors, combined in both the points of origin and destination, and relating to the economic policies of the emitting and receiving countries within the framework of globalization. However, despite the way in which the phenomenon is portrayed by politicians and the media, this predominance is not due exclusively to the historical and cultural ties between Latin America and Spain, but rather to the implementation of a complex series of legal measures which contribute to the constant renewal of national collectives at the service of the labour markets in search of the desired ‘flexibility’ based on ethnic and gender segmentation of migrant workers.