What was unthinkable yesterday is now presented as inevitable. The Spanish government of Pedro Sánchez, which for months dismissed calls to legalize hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants—a proposal promoted by the country’s Catholic bishops—is now rushing to push it forward with surprising urgency.
After more than a year of parliamentary paralysis, the Socialist government has decided to embrace the measure. The official reason? To correct the “mistakes” of a new Immigration Regulation. In practice, it is a political maneuver disguised as a humanitarian act.
The proposal, which has the backing of more than 900 organizations and 600,000 signatures, was initially treated with indifference by both the Socialists and the opposition center-right Partido Popular (PP). The right-wing VOX party was the only one to oppose it openly. However, the Socialists, pressured by their far-left coalition partners, have ultimately given in.
PM Sánchez has given clear instructions: this extraordinary regularization must be approved as soon as possible. It’s not merely a humanitarian gesture, but a response to complaints from business over labor shortages—despite there being over three million unemployed in the country.
In other words, the government is turning illegal immigration into an economic asset, with the full support of a political elite that has given up on any serious border enforcement.
The new regulation, set to enter into force on May 20, is presented as a solution, but in reality, it exacerbates the problem.
If Brussels objects, the government can deflect blame by saying, “It was Parliament’s decision.” And with the opposition Partido Popular marching in step with the Socialists on the EU’s migration and asylum pact, that excuse will be all too easy to sell.
Ultimately, this isn’t just about immigration policy—it’s about political image. The Socialists are eager to prove they still have a progressive soul and remain loyal to a multicultural ideal, even as growing numbers of Spaniards turn away from it. At the same time, the party knows that today’s migrants may become tomorrow’s voters.
