Argentina sees migration ban and border wall proposals in immigration row
Amid a racially charged national debate on immigration, a former real estate tycoon-turned-president signs an executive order to stop some foreign migrants entering his country and to deport foreign residents with criminal records. There is even talk of building a border wall, while intemperate language prompts a backlash from a neighbouring country.
But this is not Donald Trump’s America and the wall is not intended to exclude Mexicans.
Argentine President Mauricio Macri triggered a diplomatic spat with regional neighbours this week after he signed a controversial order to rein in migration. He has said that the order is intended to fight the rising wave of drug-related crime, which he claims is partly due to migrants from Argentina’s northern neighbours.
“Macri is intent on copying Trump’s agenda,” said former legislator and human rights lawyer Myriam Bregman of the Socialist Workers’ party. “They’re trying to associate immigration with crime.”
Immigration from Argentina’s northern neighbours – where the vast majority of the population is either mestizo or indigenous – has always been a source of racial tension in a country where around 79% of the population is descended from European immigrants. As in the US, migrants in Argentina tend to work in construction or other low-paying jobs; activists say that they often take jobs that Argentines are unwilling to take.
While the existing law already prohibits the entry of foreign citizens with criminal convictions, Macri’s new immigration order speeds up the deportation of foreigners accused of breaking the law - even if they haven’t been convicted for some cases. Macri claims that 21.3% of Argentina’s prison population are foreigners; but Ministry of Justice figures for 2014 show that non-Argentines make up only 5.8% of the total number of prisoners held in the country, including provincial jails.
Bolivia’s foreign ministry quickly retaliated with a statement rejecting “unfounded affirmations that do not contribute to the fight against discrimination and xenophobia in our countries.”
At: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/03/argentina-sees-migration-ban-and-border-wall-proposals-in-immigration-row?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other