🏛️ Pedro Sánchez's migrant regularisation decree faces administrative challenges

Oneliner

Pedro Sánchez's decree to regularise over half a million undocumented migrants has led to overwhelming demand at consulates and municipal offices, causing significant administrative challenges. The process, set to begin in April 2026, requires extensive documentation, and many individuals are already queuing to prepare. In an op-ed, Sánchez defended the policy as a moral and pragmatic necessity for Spain's economy, emphasizing the need for a welcoming society. However, concerns have been raised about the government's preparedness to handle the influx of applications.

Key points

• Sánchez's decree allows over half a million undocumented migrants to regularise their status.
• Administrative services are overwhelmed, causing significant delays and crowding at consulates.
• Sánchez defends the policy as both a moral obligation and a pragmatic necessity for Spain's economy.
• The regularisation process is set to begin in April 2026, requiring extensive documentation.

Links

• El Mundo: La regularización anunciada por Sánchez ya colapsa consulados y padrones municipales: "Es inasumible"
• efe.com: Pedro Sánchez defiende su política migratoria como una «cuestión moral y pragmática»
• ABC: Sánchez perpetúa su enfrentamiento con Trump con una tribuna sobre inmigración en el 'New York Times'
• Cadena SER: Pedro Sánchez escribe un artículo en 'The New York Times' explicando "por qué Occidente necesita migrantes"
• Europa Press: Ayuso reprocha la "demagogia barata" de Vox que no hace "nada más que favorecer al Gobierno" fomentando "mentiras"
• 20minutos: Sánchez defiende en el NYT la regularización de migrantes frente a los líderes que los deportan mediante "operaciones ilegales"

Facts

• Sánchez's decree allows over 500,000 undocumented migrants to apply for regularisation.
• The regularisation process is set to begin in April 2026.
• The Generalitat estimates that 120,000 to 150,000 individuals in Catalonia could benefit.
• The CSIF has called for a shock plan to manage the administrative workload.

Quotes

• The West needs people — Pedro Sánchez
• Spain is booming — Pedro Sánchez
• It is our duty to become the welcoming and tolerant society that our own relatives would have expected to find — Pedro Sánchez

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