Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is advancing a massive amnesty scheme that could legalize between 1 million and 1.35 million illegal immigrants, far surpassing initial estimates. An internal report from the National Centre for Immigration and Borders (CNIF) warns of severe consequences for national security and cultural integrity, projecting 750,000 to 1 million irregular migrants already in Spain will apply, plus 250,000 to 350,000 asylum seekers—most approvals expected.
Born from a deal between Sanchez’s Socialist party and the far-left Podemos, the policy grants one-year renewable residency permits to those who’ve resided in Spain for at least five months before December 31, 2025, with no major criminal record. Applications open in April and close June 30, bypassing parliamentary debate in a move conservatives decry as executive overreach.
The CNIF report highlights alarming risks: The amnesty could create an “international perception of Spain as more permissive with irregular immigration,” drawing 200,000 to 250,000 additional undocumented migrants annually from other Schengen countries. Sea arrivals may surge by up to 12,000 per year, exacerbating Europe’s migration crisis.
Unlike Germany, Italy, and Poland, Spain has not reinstated internal border controls, leaving its frontiers vulnerable. Migration Minister Elma Saiz hailed it as a “historic day for our country,” but analyst Javier Villamor countered: “More people would come. Because if they know that only being five months in Spain is enough to be considered a regular immigrant, they will come more.”
This policy exemplifies leftist disdain for borders, prioritizing globalist agendas over Spanish citizens’ safety, economy, and heritage—fueling pull factors that erode sovereignty amid rising anti-immigration sentiments.