The irruption of COVID-19 in the Spanish asylum system: Almería as a case study

Revista CIDOB d'Afers Internacionals, 129
Publication date: 12/2021
Author:
Pablo Pumares, Alexandra Mª Ríos-Marín and Clara López-Mora
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Back to Index: Asylum in lockdown: Access to international protection and reception in times of COVID-19

Pablo Pumares, director e investigador, Centro para el Estudio de las Migraciones y las Relaciones Interculturales (CEMyRI), Universidad de Almería (UAL) (ppumares@ual.es). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7675-5480

Alexandra Mª Ríos-Marín, investigadora, CEMyRI, UAL (alexrios@ual.es). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5937-1530; Clara López-Mora,investigadora, CEMyRI, UAL. (lopezmo@ual.es). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5937-1530

Clara López-Mora, investigadora, CEMyRI, UAL. (lopezmo@ual.es). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1925-9939.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the process of acquiring autonomy for asylum seekers in Spain who are in the Reception System for Applicants and Beneficiaries of International Protection (SAISAR). This article analyses the impact of the COVID-19 measures and the changes in political strategy from the perspective of professionals who work with refugees. The negative effects on services of the specific reception programme are determined based on fieldwork from Almería. Mainly, they are the result of communication issues, the digital divide, slow administrative processes and prolonged stays in prior stages, added to which is an acceleration of decisions – mostly negative – which has left many asylum seekers outside the system.

Keywords: Spain, Almería, reception, digital divide, COVID-19, discrimination, international protection, refugees

How to cite this article: Pumares, Pablo; Ríos-Marín, Alexandra Mª y López-Mora, Clara. «La irrupción de la COVID-19 en el sistema de asilo en España: Almería como caso de estudio». Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, n.º 129 (diciembre de 2021), p.203-225 . DOI: doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2021.129.3.203

Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals n.º 129, p. 203-226
Quadrimestral (October-December 2021)
ISSN:1133-6595 | E-ISSN:2013-035X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2021.129.3.203

Reception date: 06.04.21 ; Acceptance date: 02.09.21 

>> The full text articles are available in Spanish language, although in this issue some of them are also available in English language.