THE INVISIBLE COMMUNITY

THE INVISIBLE COMMUNITY:
COUNTING LONDON’S LATIN AMERICANS AND RESPONDING TO THEIR NEEDS

Dan Lewenstein, March 2006

Anyone who speaks Spanish knows that there are a lot of Latin Americans in London., because you constantly hear their distinctive accents on the buses, the underground, in the street. Only an expert, however, will recognise Latin Americans by visual clues: they come in every colour from white through to black, and the majority, who fall somewhere between, are hard to distinguish from Turks or Arabs. Their presence is visible, however, in the Salsa discotheques, the growing number of Colombian, Ecuadorian and Bolivian restaurants, cafes and shops, and the various large-scale carnivals that the community now hold every year.

However, the official data which is available on London’s diverse population does not seem to bear out the evidence of our eyes and ears regarding the size of London’s Latin American population. This official data, in particular the 2001 Census results, is the information which will be used in determining the services which Londoners require to be funded in the current Association of London Government review. Therefore it is important that any inaccuracy in this data is pointed out, so that funding is determined on a rational and fair basis, and the true needs of Londoners are addressed.

NO ETHNIC CATEGORY FOR LATIN AMERICANS
The first problem with the census data is that there is no ethnic group for Latin Americans. This is peculiar, considering that even according to the census there are more Londoners born in South America than in China, yet the Chinese are classified as a distinct ethnic group. Perhaps this is due to the racial diversity of the Latin American population. If so, this reflects a misconception of ethnic identity which needs to be corrected. The majority of Latin Americans living in London consider themselves primarily to be Latin Americans and their needs and preoccupations are united by language, shared experiences, immigration restrictions which in turn restrict their opportunities for employment and integration in the UK, as well as cultural concerns and common values. Skin colour is not the primary factor in Latin American identity, and an appreciation of this will perhaps help to clarify to everyone the complex nature of ethnic identity.

DISCOUNTING THE SECOND GENERATION
Therefore the only statistic which we can use to assess the Latin American population is the country of birth. This will obviously lead to considerable under-counting of the population, since the second generation is completely discounted from an assessment of the population size. Moreover, it is worth considering that, like other migrants from developing countries, Latin Americans in London have high birth rates, so the numbers excluded from the count are large. To quote a 2005 GLA report: “Labour Force Survey data suggests that many migrants do go on to have families once settled. Estimates indicate that working age migrants are more likely to have dependent children than UK-born Londoners... Migrants from developing countries are much more likely to have dependent children (49 per cent [compared to 32 per cent for UK-born Londoners])” (Country of Birth and Labour Market Outcomes in London, DMAG Briefing 2005/1, page 23). The New Generation Latin American youth project, which has been established by young Latin Americans in London as a meeting point reflecting their sense of shared identity (and which works closely with IRMO), includes many young people who were born in this country but still identify themselves strongly with Latin America.

To discount second generation migrants is clearly to discount an important area of need. The second generation face a range of problems which they inherit from their parents’ marginalisation within UK society; young Latin Americans face very high levels of bullying, school drop-out and consequent unemployment or employment in unskilled, low-wage industries.


PROBLEMS WITH CENSUS DATA
Even the official data which is available on country of birth has many weaknesses. It is officially recognised that in practice the 2001 Census reached only 94% of UK residents, whereas the response was even lower in London, at 85% (ibid, page 12). Moreover, “the latest ONS estimates for 2001-2003 show that London’s resident population was significantly higher than the Census suggested” (ibid, p.14). It is obvious for many reasons that migrants from developing countries are likely to make up a very large proportion of those not reached by the Census. Latin Americans face the following factors which would make them less likely to respond to the census:
The language barrier.

Unstable accommodation: Latin Americans generally live in very overcrowded conditions, many staying with friends or family and frequently moving house. Due to this situation and their low incomes, many of these people do not appear on utility bills and as a result have great difficulty opening a bank account and carrying out other bureaucratic requirements which most Londoners take for granted. They are an invisible population which makes them very difficult to track down for the Census. “People who have lived away from their main address for more than six months are not counted” (ibid, page 14).
∑
Undocumented population. A large proportion of Latin Americans living in London are undocumented. This population is obviously very hard to count, since they would fear giving information about themselves to the UK authorities. However we at IRMO are very much aware of the existence of this population since they regularly come to our offices for advice. They make up an important part of London’s workforce, and if it were not for undocumented migrants various UK industries (cleaning, hotels, and agriculture) would not be able to function. Estimates vary greatly, but there are certainly hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants in London, and many of these are Latin Americans.
∑ Stigma and discrimination. Colombians are the largest group of Latin Americans in the UK, even according to the Census data. However, Colombians face terrible problems of stigma and discrimination due to the popular stereotype which links Colombians to drug trafficking and other illegal activities. According to a 2005 study of the Colombian community “All those interviewed mentioned this as an issue affecting their daily conduct in London... as a result of this continual stereotyping, people reported that they stopped saying they were from Colombia and instead, usually said they were from another Latin American country or, more usually, from Spain” (Coping Practices among Colombian migrants in London, Cathy Mcilwaine, Queen Mary, University of London, December 2005, page 46).

CENSUS DATA
According to the 2001 Census, 44,179 Londoners were born in South America. As this figure is for South America, it naturally excludes many major Latin American nationalities, such as Mexicans, Cubans, Salvadorians and Dominicans, who are included in figures for North America and the Caribbean.
The figures for the principle Latin American nationalities in London in the 2001 Census break down as follows:
Colombia 9,035
Brazil 8,162
Argentina 2,557
Ecuador 2,301
Chile 2,054
Peru 1,738
Mexico 1,595
Venezuela 1,508
Cuba 534
Bolivia 524

However, there can be no doubt that these figures represent a major under-estimate. The figure for all Colombian-born in the whole of the UK in the Census 2001 was only 12,039. However, Home Office figures in 2001 alone, recorded 14,900 Colombian passengers resident in the UK “returning [to the UK] after a temporary absence abroad”, as well as 470 Colombians who entered the UK that year for reasons of settlement (ICAR Navigation Guide, Refugee populations in the UK: Colombians, October 2003). Obviously, considering the socio-economic characteristics of this population and the major restrictions on travel it faces (Colombians require a visa for virtually every country in the world, and a very large proportion of Latin Americans resident in the UK are restricted from traveling because they are awaiting the outcome of an application; many immigration applications can take 8 months or more to process), Latin American Londoners are not frequent travellers abroad.


OTHER ESTIMATED FIGURES
Both the Ecuadorian and Colombian Consulates in London estimate migrant populations far higher than the official figures.

CENSUS FIGURE (UK) CONSULATE ESTIMATE *
Colombia 12, 039 150,000
Ecuador 2,964 70,000

* Estimates: Colombia - Noticias Latin America, May 2004; Ecuador - report on “Ecuadorian identity”, Runnymede Trust, November 2005.

Many other figures reinforce this picture of the Census figure as a major under-estimate. A study published in 2000 (“The Colombian Community in London”, Open Channels) estimated that there were 80,000 Latin Americans living in London already in the early 1990s, of which the great majority were Colombians. In 2003, the Colombian Ministry for External Relations estimated that around 95,000 Colombians were living in the UK (Mcilwaine, p. 11). The British Labour Force Survey 2003 gave a sample-based figure of 39,000 economically active Colombians in the UK (TUC 2003 quoted in Lagnado, p.14).

BOLIVIAN COMMUNITY
A third Latin American nationality which is undoubtedly greatly underestimated by the Census figure is the Bolivian community. In IRMO’s internal figures, Bolivians are the third most significant nationality group, after Colombians and Ecuadorians, and the Bolivian community has a visible presence in parts of South London, with its own specialist shops, restaurants, discotheques and cultural groups. However, according to the Census there were only 524 Bolivians resident in London in 2001. A factor this under-estimate may be due to the fact that Bolivians are a very new community, which has grown rapidly over the last 5 years.


CONCENTRATION IN LONDON
All the studies agree on one point: the vast majority of Latin Americans resident in the UK, and particularly the great majority of Colombians, Ecuadorians and Bolivians, live in London. Even when Colombian asylum-seekers are offered free accommodation outside of London but cannot get such an offer if they stay in London, as is the case with asylum-seekers supported by the National Asylum Support System, 62% of Colombian asylum-seekers preferred to stay in London, due to the strength of the community here and the support it can provide (ICAR, p.30). The Ecuadorian Consulate estimates that 80-90% of Ecuadorians in the UK reside in London (Runnymede Trust, p.4).

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS AND NEEDS OF THIS COMMUNITY
The GLA’s 2005 report (“Country of birth and labour market outcomes in London”) shows that migrant populations from developing countries living in London suffer from high levels of unemployment, part-time employment and low-paid employment. However, there is great variation in these figures among different nationality groups. This is the case also for migrants from different Latin American countries. These figures reinforce the picture presented by our own internal data and experience, showing a large, impoverished and marginalised population of Colombians, Ecuadorians, Bolivians and some others, whereas other nationality groups, such as Argentineans and Mexicans, tend to be much better off. According to the GLA report, which is based on the 2001 Census, the employment rate for Ecuadoreans in London is 49.1%, making it one of the lowest among migrant groups, Colombians’ employment rate is also very low, at only 60%, whereas Argentineans, Mexicans and Brazilians enjoy employment rates of over 70%, though still below the national average (ibid, pages 43 and 45).

ECUADORIANS AND COLOMBIANS DO THE WORST JOBS IN LONDON
In terms of occupation groups, the situation for Ecuadorians and Colombians is even worse. Of all migrant groups in London, Ecuadorians and Colombians have the greatest proportion working in the lowest occupational category, “elementary occupations”. This accounts for 38% of Ecuadorians and 33% of Colombians who responded to the Census (ibid, p.68). This is a shocking figure for the Latin American community, yet the true figures, once undocumented migrants are included, must certainly be far higher. In addition, Ecuadorians and Colombians have some of the highest levels of part-time employment (37.5% and 34.3%, ranked 5th and 6th respectively among all migrant groups).


SOUTH LONDON: NEED FOR A LATIN AMERICAN ORGANISATION
The concentration of Latin Americans in South London, particularly the boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth, is well known from anecdotal and visual evidence. Elephant and Castle is the most well-known commercial centre for Latin American businesses (Guardian, January 21, 2005). This impression is reinforced by the Census data, which shows that the three London boroughs with the highest number of South American residents to be Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth. Though the Latin American population is spread all over London, these three boroughs account for 20% of the South American-born population of London, according to the Census (Neighbourhood Statistics, Table UV08). Once again, this is surely an underestimate, since the uncounted migrants tend to group around the principle centres of Latin American population. Yet the only Latin American organisations in South London which currently have public funding are the Latin American Disabled People’s Project and the Latin American ‘Golden Years’ Elderly Project. There is no general advice or community association in the south which currently has funding, while in North London, despite a smaller Latin American population, there are several funded organisations (including Latin American Association, CARILA, Latin American Women’s Rights Service and Latin American Women’s Aid). This would appear to reflect the original pattern of migration around a quarter of a century ago, when the first Latin American migrants arrived and these organisations were established.


IRMO MOVES SOUTH
Formerly the Colombian Refugee Association was funded in Lambeth, however this organisation has suffered from many conflicts on political lines, leading it into a series of crises and to lose its funding. Moreover, the Latin American population in South London needs an organisation for all Latin Americans, regardless of nationality and political differences. This situation has prompted this organisation, IRMO, which has over recent years becoming the most popular community organisation in London for the Latin American community (a fact reflected in our advice service figures, in prizes awarded by the Latin American community and in recognition of excellence from outside regulators such as the Community Legal Service and the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) to decide to relocate to the south.

This relocation is a response both to our own wish to be located at the heart of London’s Latin American community, and to requests from local organisations in Lambeth, including the Vauxhall Gardens Community Centre and the Lady Margaret Hall Settlement, for the organisation to respond to the unmet needs of the local Latin American community. In addition, the New Generation Latin American youth project has requested that we relocate so as to share premises with them and provide support to their project. We hope these important developments for the Latin American community will be taken into account in ALG’s funding review. IRMO will aim to assist the Latin American population to integrate with the diverse communities in the local area, providing a wide range of advice, training and mentoring projects, as well as cultural, artistic and educational activities, provided as part of our holistic service. The new premises in Brixton (Angel Town) are also more central than our premises in Bethnal Green, and so will increase access to our project for Latin Americans from all over London.

The author, Daniel Lewenstein, hold a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of London (ILAS). He has been coordinator of IRMO since June 1999.





BIBLIOGRAPHY:

“London, the World in a City” Data Management and Analysis Group, Greater London Authority, February 2005

“Country of Birth and Labour Market Outcomes in London: An Analysis of Labour Force Survey and Census Data” Data Management and Analysis Group, Greater London Authority, January 2005

“Coping Practices Among Colombian Migrants in London”, Cathy Mcilwaine, Department of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London, December 2005

Commissioned Table C0182, Neighbourhood Statistics, National Statistics (Census 2001).

Table Country of Birth (UV08), Neighbourhood Statistics, National Statistics, Census 2001.

“Ecuadorian identity, community and multi-cultural integration”, Malcolm James, Runnymede Trust, November 2005.

“From Afghanistan to Australia via Italy, Bangladesh, Colombia and Japan: Where some of London’s other communities hang out” Leo Benedictus, Friday January 21, 2005, Guardian Unlimited

“Refugee populations in the UK: Colombians”, ICAR Navigation Guide, Anastasia Bermudez Torres, October 2003

“The London Service Sector and Migrant Labour in the 1990s: Colombians in Contract Cleaning”, Jacob Lagnado, Open University MSc dissertation, September 2004