Dimples on the Edge

I am currently living in a city in Spain during the mass regularization of over 500,000 migrants in “irregular” situations. I, too, am an immigrant in an “irregular” situation, although I took a different path to residency.

The issue is, that although in theory this is a beautiful opportunity to help provide safety and security to individuals that have been living in a country (for only 5 months prior to the cutoff, which is an interestingly low bar for entry) without being able to access many basic rights, because housing, bank accounts, and more are tied to have a social number like a NIE/TIE, the government has done nothing to prepare for this influx of new residents within the administrative spaces. That has led to a massive backlog of legally approved residents that cannot receive their final “Toma de Huellas Cita” (fingerprint appointment), which means that they cannot get access to their Tarjeta de Individuales Extranjeros – TIE (foreign residency card), which prevents them from doing most of the basic tasks to be able to actively contribute to the city they reside in, as well as travel outside of Spain/Schengen Zone.

Now, part of me wonders if this isn’t an intentional way to keep those under the misnomer of “unskilled/low-wage worker”, folks who often take on the unsavory yet vital jobs that native citizens may not have an interest in, trapped in the positions they’re in as a way to continue to reap the most profit out under the guise of providing stability and hope. For a country with an aging population and low-birth rates, immigrants solve many of those problems. However, the collapsed system does not allow for said immigrants to achieve those elusive perks.

The Black Market, where appointments are sold for prices ranging from 20eu-350eu (possibly more, those were some of the prices I was quoted), has even begun turning folks away because bots have come in and have made finding an appointment even more difficult. I have personally attempted to reserve, after weeks of searching, 5 appointments that have all been stolen mid-registration. A bot can fill out information faster than a human, even one using autofill, can. My neighbors have heard my screams of anger & frustration. Even working with a lawyer didn’t help.

Ultimately, what I have learned through this experience is to bend the rules to accommodate your needs. I was told by many, including my lawyer, that going outside of the region I live in to get an appointment is NOT ALLOWED. However, a fellow immigrant friend of mine did exactly that, and had her appointment a town an hour away set for the next day, compared to my FOUR MONTHS of searching to no avail. She went, was successful, and I promptly followed suit. All those months wasted. As the adage goes, “Ask for forgiveness, not permission”. In a broken world, as long as our actions do not harm others, taking liberties can be the quickest way to making your dreams come true.