Justicia para inmigrantes

Mercado y política de extranjería

Abstract

This article examines from a normative point of view the relationship between justice and
alien status, in particular questions regarding the limits of justice in a policy for the status of
foreigners. The question I have asked myself is: is it morally fair for states to legitimate their
policies regarding the status of foreigners on the grounds of economic criteria? The argument
guiding my reasoning is that an alien status policy is fairer when the market does not function as
a criterion for orientation.
In the first part, I present as a preliminary the new scenarios of the theoretical political debate
around the relationship between the market and justice, in order to define the context of my
analysis. In the second part, I give a brief introduction to the principal tensions that cast doubt
on the legitimacy of state treatment of foreigners from the point of view of justice, with the
intention of presenting the logic of my reasoning. In the third part, I propose open reflection
that adds to the earlier statement the variable of the status of foreigners, taking the Spanish law
on aliens as a study case. In the final part, I sum up my argument: the need to review the criteria
that legitimate immigration policies from the viewpoint of justice in general and criteria based
on the market in particular.