True stories of Americans being deported from Spain

A lot of my friends -- especially my Spanish ones -- thought I was being paranoid when I made the decision to leave Madrid last fall. They didn't believe it was possible for a North American to be deported, despite the growing crackdown on sin papeles in Spain. I understood where they were coming from, since none of us had ever known an American who was sent home by the police in Spain (though I did know an Australian and an American who were caught in other EU countries). But since I was living in a predominantly immigrant neighborhood, I witnessed first-hand the increased pressure on immigrants in Madrid. There were random ID checks, usually as people came out of the Metro station at night, and several of the immigrant families in my own building had mysteriously disappeared. While I also believed it was unlikely I would ever really have problems, I knew that the possibility did exist, and the consequences were far too great to ignore.

It now seems my paranoia was justified. In February, there were reports that the police in certain parts of Madrid had to meet a weekly quota for the detention of illegal immigrants. Around the same time, they reported that the number of illegal immigrants thrown out of Valencia had doubled in the past year. My Spanish friend told me there was also talk of fining any legal residents of Spain who lived with or rented flats to illegals. And yet, we always believed that the illegal Americans, Canadians, etc. would probably not be affected by any of this. For the most part, it's probably true, and it's unlikely that a clean-cut English teacher is going to be asked for ID on the streets of Madrid. But one wrong move, or one unlucky circumstance that draws attention to you from the authorities, and it could be game over...

If you're not convinced, check out this recent article from European Vibe:
http://www.europeanvibe.com/imagenes_revista/340_pdf.pdf

Of particular importance is the end of the second-to-last paragraph, where it states:
"If the [deportation] papers are processed however, then he’s banished from the European continent for six to nine years!"

Think about it. That's a VERY long time. Anyone who's willing to take the risk to live illegally in Spain must have some sort of strong attachment to the place, or to someone who lives there, or to Europe in general. So imagine not being able to visit that person or that place for six to nine years. It's incomprehensible. And that's why I decided to follow the old mantra of "Better safe than sorry". I miss Spain. A lot. And at times I have the urge to hop on a plane and go back there and give it another go. But the thought that I could be banned from the country and continent I love so much -- and of which I still have much to explore -- is what keeps me grounded. I'll get back there someday -- but not unless I can be legal.