Concerns Raised Over Spain’s Amnesty Plan for Illegal Immigrants

Magnus Brunner, the European Commission Commissioner for Refugees and Migration, recently expressed concerns about Spain’s extensive amnesty proposal for 500,000 undocumented immigrants. This was noted in an internal EU parliamentary document, reported by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

In a letter dated April 8 that was acquired by the newspaper, Brunner mentioned that Brussels had not yet received any official notification from the Spanish government, led by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, regarding this mass amnesty. The letter was a response to queries from members of Spain’s center-right Popular Party.

Brunner emphasized that while individual Member States can make decisions about the regularization of third-country nationals, such choices can have wider implications for the EU as a whole. “Decisions taken by Member States in areas without internal borders may have implications for other Member States and for the Union as a whole,” he stated.

He clarified that a national residence permit permits individuals to live and work only in the issuing state and does not authorize travel across the EU. If someone with such a permit is found in another EU country without authorization or seeks asylum elsewhere, they have to return to the country that issued the permit, he added.

Brunner mentioned that national authorities need to collaborate effectively to expedite this process, highlighting that costs associated should be discussed between countries.

The Spanish government has acknowledged that the amnesty would allow illegal immigrants in Spain to obtain work permits. However, they did not address its potential repercussions on other EU nations.

In January, President Sánchez announced plans for this significant amnesty, intending it to be granted under relatively lenient requirements. Notably, he aims to implement this by royal decree, avoiding parliamentary procedures, which has faced significant public opposition as nearly 70 percent of Spaniards are against it.

A decree is anticipated in April, reportedly in conjunction with left-wing NGOs, possibly as early as April 15. Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Immigration is expected to commence the amnesty process soon.

Recently, reports indicated that the ministry estimated around 750,000 applications for a plan aimed at 500,000 individuals, highlighting the massive scale of the operation needed to process more applications than initially projected.