Spain’s left-wing gov’t to legalize 300,000 undocumented migrants, bucking EU trend

In a sharp departure from the general migration policy across the European Union, Spain has announced its plan to legalize about 300,000 undocumented migrants per year, starting next May and through 2027, the country’s migration minister said Wednesday (20 November).
With about 600,000 undocumented migrants, one of the highest rates in the bloc, Spain aims to employ migration as a development strategy to sustain its economic growth. The legalization policy is not aimed solely at “cultural wealth and respect for human rights; it’s also prosperity, Migration Minister Elma Saiz has said, adding that the country needs around 250,000 registered foreign workers a year to maintain its welfare state. “The goal is to strengthen and expand pathways to regularization for migrants in Spain, allowing them to lead full lives as citizens, with rights and responsibilities,” Saiz said. “Today, we can say Spain is a better country.”
Spain has largely remained open to receiving migrants even as many other EU countries seek to adopt stricter measures to tighten their borders to illegal crossings and asylum seekers. The Iberian country’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has repeatedly described his government’s migration policies as a means to combat low birthrate. But despite this open policy on migration, Sanchez has recently visited three West African nations aiming to tackle irregular migration to Spain’s Canary Islands. The Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) welcomed the news, with its senior advocacy officer, Laetitia van der Vennet, stating that “living and growing up undocumented means living under stress and uncertainty; with a secure residence permit, people are able to breathe again, plan their lives and build their future.”