Immigrants who have come to live in Spain need to be protected by the law. They need to know what their rights are so that they can feel more comfortable and secure in the country in which they live.

When Spain joined the European Union in 1986 the law made it more difficult for people who come from places such as the poorer parts of Africa, to emigrate to Spain. It also became more difficult for these people if they wanted to move to Spain, and then go to live in a different European country later on. There was a Spanish law called The Law for Foreigners which many people thought was very unfair. It made it easier for people who came from countries that Spain has been connected to in the past, to emigrate to Spain

Sometimes immigrants are deported straight back to the country they have come from, and this means that they are not allowed to enter Spain again at all for the next three years. Some young African men have died by trying to sail to the southern Spanish coast in small boats called 'pateras'. Sometimes immigrants pay people to help them to enter the country, and these people often continue to make the immigrants pay in various ways once they have entered the country.

Early in the year 2000, a New Immigration Law was passed in Spain which gave help and rights to immigrants regarding things like permits to allow people to work, education and health. This was a good law for Spanish immigrants, since for many of them, it meant that they could live in the country quite legally. However, later on that year the law was changed again to make it more difficult for immigrants to be legally accepted, and the new law makes it very clear who is allowed to live in the country, and who is not.