The Mayor of London also promised an Iberoamerican month and to make raids for illegal immigrants in Southwark less “destabilising”.

Boris Johnson encouraged attendants of the Iberoamerican and Latin American and Caribbean summit that he would keep regularisation in the British political agenda.

More than four hundred and fifty people attended the annual summit where Johnson was the main speaker.

“I want people to pay tax and contribute to the economy. That’s the argument I have made to government and I will keep making that point”.

However he clarified that people that have been in UK around ten years were the ones that should benefit from an amnesty and not people that have just immigrated to the country.

“I must be very clear with you. You got to combine it with very tough border controls. You got to stop illegal immigration. People who come here illegally must expect to be sent home”.

Ambassadors from Brasil, Trinidad and Tobago, Peru, Argentina, Paraguay, New Guinea and Colombia were there together with community, business and religious leaders. The event was hosted in Senate House by the Institute for Study of the Americas.

A representative of the Ecuatorian Chamber of Commerce mentioned raids in Southwark against illegal immigrants. Boris replied: “I am aware of these raids that you mention. I will take it up with the authorities to make sure that nothing is done to make it destabilising.”

Before Boris Johnson’s keynote speech, Isaac Bigio, Director of the Ibero American and Luso Hispanic Alliance (AIU) remembered that he was the first Mayor to make an election campaign to the Hispanic community in Elephant & Castle.

Johnson acknowledged that the Iberoamerican community was the one that was doing the most for London. He also said that it had done the right thing by coming to the capital city. The Mayor promised he would work with government to lower business rates so that business owners wouldn’t have to pay so much in taxes.

Johnson also promised to do everything he could to create a Hispanic month in London and he reassured: “As long as I’m Mayor of London there will be an Iberoamerican market to represent the diversity”.

The Hispanic and Luso-Hispanic Alliance was established in 2009 as a horizontal organisation of community groups. They managed to prevent the demolition of the market in Elephant and Castle and are now campaigning for ethnic recognition in monitoring forms, establishment of five Latino neighbourhoods in London and a TV, press and radio channel in Spanish and Portuguese.

Boris Johnson promises to keep campaigning for regularisation at Iberoamerican conference in London by Alba Madriz