The “discovery” of immigration in Spain: The politicization of immigration in the case of El Ejido

During the second half of the 1980s and the 1990s immigration in Spain raised keen interest in relatively restrictive circles (the administration, associations, academia, etc.), who shared the opinion that “Spain was experiencing a demographic transformation, turning from a country of emigration into a country of immigration”. As we enter the 21st century it is witnessing another important qualitative change. the issue is no longer a matter of administrative and “technical” concern, but political parties and society in general have begun to take it seriously. At the beginning of this decade then, this topic has become a “cuestión de Estado” (Raison d'État).