Pedra Sánchez's government launched an emergency decree to regularise illegal immigrants. It is officially intended to cover up to half a million people, but the Spanish police estimation that together with household reunification, the number of beneficiaries can scope up to 3 million, and warns that immigration control will "break down".
What is regularisation
The program was introduced by a royal decree as an emergency solution. It may be utilized by persons who stayed in Spain before 1 January 2026, who show at least a fewer months of presence in the country and have no serious criminal record. The condition is besides employment, household ties or a situation of peculiar social vulnerability. Applications are accepted by the Ministry for Migration and residence cards are issued by the national police. Acquiring legal position opens the right to free movement in the Schengen area.
Where does the number of 3 million come from
The government is talking about half a million people to be legalized. However, police analyses offer importantly higher estimates: up to a million to 1.35 million direct beneficiaries. The real multiplier is to connect families. As the officers warn, at least 3 more migrants brought in under the reunification may be affected by any individual who receives legal status. Hence the quoted number of 3 million people entering the system. According to reports, over a million applications have already been filed.
Officer warnings
High-ranking national police representatives, speaking anonymously, do not hide concern. "The strategy will collapse," they said, judging the full task as unthinkable. They indicate respective threats at once. First of all, the hazard of fraud, including counterfeiting of related documents. Secondly, there is no appropriate preparation of officials to verify abroad papers and criminal record. Thirdly, the incentive effect for further illegal migration. There is besides a fear of expanding force on wellness care, schooling and social assistance.
Political background
The decision of the government of Pedra Sánchez raises a heated dispute within the country. Reaching for the royal decree means treating the substance as an emergency, allowing it to bypass the average parliamentary path. The general police station on immigration and borders questioned the legitimacy of specified a procedure. Regularization is criticised by Vox leader Santiago Abascal, and Polish Euro MP Anna Bryłka besides took the floor. The deadline for submitting applications is set at no more than 30 June 2026. For supporters of the program, it is an act of arranging the situation of hundreds of thousands of people already working in Spain. For critics, it is simply a precedent that can trigger another wave of migration to all Europe.
Source: RMX
