Regarding the article by María Ramírez (Why is Spain’s economy booming? Thanks to migration – which proves xenophobia doesn’t pay, 19 February), Spain received nearly 64,000 irregular migrants in 2024 – most arriving by sea at the Canary Islands (46,843). Many migrants from West Africa and Morocco who arrive in Spain end up working in greenhouse agriculture in Almería, where around 25,000-30,000 jobs are filled by undocumented migrants, paid well below the minimum wage and forced to live in unsanitary conditions in slums.
Those who survive the journey to Spain (10,457 drowned in 2024) face exploitation here by industries like the intensive agriculture that provides more than 1.6m tonnes of fruit and vegetables each year to the UK. Working in the greenhouses in Almería’s “sea of plastic” involves long hours, searing heat and exposure to toxic agrochemicals, leading to deaths and illness.
As conditions worsen in west Africa, immigrant numbers increase – more than the demand for labour in Almería. The result is a displaced, homeless, jobless diaspora, particularly from Senegal. The response from authorities in Almería is to threaten to demolish informal settlements, with plans to move workers into cramped barracks without air conditioning, and with strict curfews and constant surveillance.
Spain indeed relies on migrants (they form 25% of the workforce in Almería, and around 16% nationally), but it relies on their exploitation and the continued drive to emigrate after centuries of colonial destruction in Africa.
Neal Haddaway
Retamar, Spain
