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Secretary of State for Migration

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Secretary of State for Migration
Secretario de Estado de Migraciones
Coat of Arms used by the Government
since December 6, 2023
Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration
Secretariat of State for Migration
StyleThe Most Excellent (formal)
Mr./Ms. Secretary of State (informal)
AbbreviationSED
NominatorMinister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration
AppointerThe Monarch
PrecursorSecretary General for Immigration and Emigration
FormationMay 11, 2000; 24 years ago (2000-05-11)
First holderEnrique Fernández-Miranda y Lozana
Websiteextranjeros.mitramiss.gob.es

The secretary of state for migration (SEM) is a senior official of the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration responsible for developing the government's policy on foreigners, immigration and emigration. It also attends and advises the minister in the international meetings about these matters, especially in the European Union meetings.[1]

The SEM is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the minister of inclusion, social security and migration. From the secretary of state depends a three departments: the Directorate-General for Migration Management, the Directorate-General for Humanitarian Care and the International Protection Reception System and the Directorate-General for Spanish Citizenry Abroad and Return Policies.

History

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Since its inception and its worldwide expansion, Spain has always been a country that has received and sent large amounts of population. Most of the South American population and in a lesser amount the North American population, descends from Spanish ancestry.

That has provoke that a common culture and language link dozens of countries of all the world, not just Latin American countries but also Asian countries like the Philippines, African countries like Morocco or Equatorial Guinea and North American countries like United States and Canada.

It is not clear when migratory issues took center stage within the Spanish administration, although there is evidence that in 1882, a section was created inside the Ministry of Development destinated to these matters.[2] Before this, there are documents that proves that the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of the Navy and the Ministry of Overseas were in charge of overseeing the migrations in the Peninsular Spain and in the Spanish territories in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania[3] and that there were also parliamentary committees to discuss migrations matters.[4]

In the 1920s, the Ministry of Labour assumed the competencies over immigration and emigration that still today maintains. During the dictatorship of Franco, in 1956, it was created the Spanish Institute for Emigration in order to control the emigration of the Spanish population, trying to direct it to countries with cultural links like South American's. This was done through collecting labor information abroad to offer Spaniards more attractive jobs in this type of countries.[5]

In 1985, the Institute was transformed into a Directorate-General being called Directorate-General of the Spanish Institute for Emigration. The name of this directorate was changed in 1991 to Directorate-General for Migration, a more accurate name because since 1985 this directorate had competences not only over emigration, but also over all kind of migrations.[6]

The Directorate-General change its name many times, in 1996 to Directorate-General for Labor and Migration and in 1998 Directorate General for the Regulation of Migrations.

It was in 2000 when this departmanet was created, named Government Delegation for Foreigners and Immigration, with the rank of secretary of state. Later, in 2004, it was renamed as Secretariat of State for Immigration and Emigration and depending on it were three directorate-generals: Directorate-General for Immigration, Directorate-General for Emigration and Directorate-General for the Integration of Immigrants. This Secretariat of State was replaced in 2011 by the General Secretariat fr Immigration and Emigration and was created again in 2018 by the name of Secretariat of State for Migration and the former General Secretariat for Immigration and Emigration was integrated as a subsidiary department of it. The General Secretariat was abolished in 2020.

Structure

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Under the secretary of state are the following departments:[1]

  • The Directorate-General for Migration Management, in charge of all administrative affairs regarding the general migration policy, infrastructures and European Funds.
  • The Directorate-General for Humanitarian Care and the International Protection Reception System, department responsible for the planning, execution and management of humanitarian care and international protection programs.
  • The Directorate-General for Spanish Citizenry Abroad and Return Policies, in charge of the management of programs aimed at Spanish emigration abroad and returnees citizens.

The SED also has a personal Cabinet for the coordination of the secretary of state's activities within the European Union and other international forums and organizations in matters of migration and a Deputy Directorate-General for Legal Regime to assist on legal and technical matters regarding national, European and international migration law.

List of secretaries of state

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No. Image Name Term of office Ministers serving under: Prime Minister appointed by:
Began Ended Days of service
1º Enrique Fernández-Miranda y Lozana 13 May 2000 20 July 2002 798 Jaime Mayor Oreja José María Aznar
2º Ignacio González González 20 July 2002 22 November 2003 490 Ángel Acebes
3º Gonzalo Robles Orozco 22 November 2003 20 April 2004 150
4º Consuelo Rumí 20 April 2004 27 February 2010 2139 Jesús Caldera José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Celestino Corbacho
5º Anna Terrón 27 February 2010 31 December 2011 672 Celestino Corbacho
6º Consuelo Rumí 19 June 2018 30 January 2020 590 Magdalena Valerio Pedro Sánchez
7º Hana Jalloul 30 January 2020 31 March 2021 426 José Luis Escrivá
- Santiago Antonio Yerga Cobos
Acting 		31 March 2021 7 April 2021 7
8º Jesús Javier Perea Cortijo 7 April 2021 28 June 2022 447
9º Isabel Castro Fernández 28 June 2022 6 December 2023 526
10º Pilar Cancela Rodríguez 6 December 2023 Incumbent 343 Elma Saiz

References

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  1. ^ a b "Royal Decree 501/2024, of May 21, by which the organic structure of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration is developed". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  2. ^ Royal decree creating in the Directorate of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce of the Ministry of Public Works a section in charge of dealing with everything that refers to immigration and immigration issues.
  3. ^ Royal decree authorizing the immigration of Cochin-Chinese settlers on the island of Cuba.
  4. ^ Parliamentary Document.- Opinion of the commission on Galician immigration in the Island of Cuba.
  5. ^ Calvo Salgado, L. M.; Fernández Vicente, M. J.; Kreienbrink, A.; Sanz Díaz, C.; Sanz Lafuente, G. (2009). Historia del Instituto Español de Emigración. La política migratoria exterior de España y el IEE del franquismo a la transición (PDF). University of Zurich. pp. 24–25.
  6. ^ Royal Decree 1458/1991, of October 11, by which the General Directorate of Migrations of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security is created.
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