Nearly 110,000 immigrants currently live in Alava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. They make up 5% of the total population of the Basque Country. Seven out of ten have jobs and 17.8% are unemployed. Half of the migrants have an income of less than 1,000 euros. One of the three immigrants living in the Basque Country is a Latin American woman: the main areas of work are home service and care for the elderly. Six out of ten immigrants want to stay here forever. They feel more socialized and respected than discriminated against. All this has been demonstrated by the Basque Observatory of Vision Immigration, the first macro-survey carried out in the Basque Country. The situation of immigrants in Navarre will not be very different.

The future of our dependent adults and patients is in the hands of immigrant women in particular. Various sectors that we locals don’t want to work in, such as some areas of industry, construction, fishing, forestry and hospitality, are in their hands. Their work and contribution are guaranteeing the future of pensions. This reality leads us to have mutual respect, to the effort of social integration of immigrants, not to marginalize foreigners socially, in the workplace and politically, and to recognize politicians – participation in elections, etc. – among other rights. If they live, work and pay taxes here, they are Basque citizens and their social and political rights must be respected.