The great crisis that the Covid 19 pandemic is generating is bringing to light problematic realities of our society, and one of them is the deficit in immigrant integration policies.
Because, what kind of information are these citizens receiving at times like those of the pandemic, of great uncertainty and fear. How are they being protected?
Admitting, with many nuances, that the pandemic took us by surprise (actually it was something foreseeable) now that we have already psyched ourselves up, it is urgent to make a plan to transmit quality information on the health situation to all members of society. Programs are urgently needed in the different languages of the immigrants, at least in the most used, explaining the protection measures.
As an example of these information deficits with immigrants, I will explain the case of a Syrian refugee woman that we attend, now by telephone, at SAPPIR (Service for Psychopathological and Psychosocial Care for Immigrants and Refugees) in Barcelona. When a few weeks ago, after the end of the confinement, during a session, I asked her that it was good for her to go outside, in the fresh air, that she not stay at home, she replied:
-Look doctor, what else would I like, but we can’t go out, the police fine us if we go out
-But how, I answered him, if the state of alarm has already ended and people travel between provinces and even foreign tourists arrive on planes. How come you can’t leave the house for a walk?
-The patient was silent for a moment and then began to notify the whole family, shouting loudly saying that they could now leave the house, that they did not have to remain locked up……..
I think that the anecdote reflects very well the reality of many immigrants who have lived uninformed, disconnected from the host society, a dangerous and distressing situation like the pandemic. Moreover, since no information has been sent to them from the institutions, they have been at the mercy of all kinds of hoaxes, fake news… which have only increased their uncertainty and fear.
It must be borne in mind that immigrants contribute much more to society than what they receive, performing vital functions for the community, performing essential jobs, often dangerous, risking their lot for everyone, as has been clearly seen. in this pandemic situation. But it is also that, just by launching a structured regularization program for the undocumented, it is estimated that the State would collect close to 2,000 million euros with its contributions. With that alone we could already finance a high-quality tracker program, something that is now failing. And so it goes.
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