For hundreds of thousands of Latin American immigrants that leave their home countries each year — and in spite of what Lou Dobbs might have you believe — the first choice in destination isn’t the United States but Spain. A recently released report estimates that 1.8 million people of Latin American origin now live in Spain, and the 5 largest communities are Ecuadorans, Colombians, Argentines, Bolivians and Peruvians.

Immigration to Spain is said to be having a positive impact on the countries of origin, which are receiving 15% of immigrants’ salaries in the form of “remesas” sent to family back home.

Up until now, the acceptance of immigrants into the Spanish system has been pretty open. But earlier this month, as a result of a harsh economic crisis in Spain, the government announced incentives for unemployed immigrants to return to their countries of origin.

Via / El Universal