Spain's socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced plans to regularise the status of 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The time-limited plan grants successful applicants a one-year legal residence permit, with Sánchez defending the policy as a matter of human decency and economic necessity.
In a video posted on social media, Sánchez asked: 'When did recognising rights become something radical? When did empathy become something exceptional?' The conservative People's Party (PP) argued the plan would attract more migrants and overwhelm public services, while the far-right Vox party accused Sánchez of trying to 'accelerate the invasion'.
Sánchez has previously broken ranks with European peers on migration, notably in 2018 when he offered to welcome the 630 migrants and asylum seekers aboard the rescue boat Aquarius after Italy and Malta refused entry. He has consistently argued that migration boosts the economy, citing figures that migrants contribute 25% of Spain's per capita GDP and 10% of social security revenues while using only 1% of public expenditure.
The regularisation scheme, agreed at the behest of the leftwing Podemos party after years of civil society campaigning, comes at a politically difficult time for Sánchez. Recent polls show Vox's support at nearly 18%, while corruption allegations have dogged the prime minister's inner circle and his party.
Analysts suggest the decree allows Sánchez to differentiate himself from opponents and shore up support among left-wing allies. The plan has been met with a fierce backlash from the right, but Sánchez remains defiant, insisting that managed migration is key to Spain's future prosperity.
