Spain Approves Legalizing Nearly 500,000 Undocumented Migrants
On Tuesday, the cabinet gave the green light to a decree, set to take effect in April, which will provide one-year residence and work permits to foreigners who can demonstrate they have lived in Spain for at least five months before the conclusion of 2025.
The initiative, developed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialists and the leftist party Podemos, bypassed a divided parliament.
Authorities contend that the policy is crucial for addressing labor shortages and the challenges posed by Spain’s aging demographic.
Sanchez emphasized that Spain “lacks people” and must decide between being “a closed and poor nation” or “opening itself to the world to ensure prosperity.”
Leaders of the opposition responded with sharp criticism, portraying the policy as politically driven and reckless. Popular Party (PP) head Alberto Nunez Feijoo accused Sanchez of trying to “deflect attention” from a growing national crisis following a string of recent fatal passenger train accidents that claimed dozens of lives.
Feijoo further criticized the large-scale legalization as a “reward for illegal migration” and pledged to revoke it if his party regained power.
Meanwhile, right-wing Vox chief Santiago Abascal escalated the rhetoric, asserting that the government is facilitating a widespread “invasion” intended to “replace” the native population and calling for mass deportations.
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