Waiting Temporality and Arbitrary Selectivity at the Borders of Europe: Describe the Pathway of Migrants in Andalucia from Motril to Granada

The closure of Europe by Greece and Turkey and the repressive policy of Italy have contributed in recent years to remove sea crossings to the western part of the Mediterranean. In 2018 Spain became the first country of arrival for migrants in the Mediterranean with 64,000 entries. Andalusia saw 28,000 migrants arrive on its coasts, which raised mobilizations from associations face to humanitarian emergency and saturation of reception centers. My communication aims to follow the migratory pathway of migrants from their arrival at the port of Motril to their stay in the city of Granada, distinguishing between different reception modalities. The port of Motril has a function of filtering and pushing back migrants, a border area characterized by an ambivalent tension between humanitarian reception and security treatment. Although they have physically reached Spain, the migrants who arrived by sea in Motril have not yet crossed the border; they are not yet administratively recognized as people with welcome rights. They are held in a closed border area in the port far from the city center. They are not free to move, they are hampered by waiting and confinement. In the best-case scenario, they will be directed to associations that will provide them with accommodation, food and social support as part of the national reception program. The city of Granada constitutes a more protective space that combines institutional reception provided by state service organizations and more spontaneous reception driven by local citizen solidarity. The associations are trying to respond to the migratory emergency and the shortcomings of the national reception program marked by a limited temporality and selectivity of participants. They also point out the need to offer places of sociability to compensate for the wandering and idleness of migrants forced to remain on the street without work and occupation.