Spain Grants Legal Status to Over 500,000 Migrants in Landmark Regularization Drive
Spain has launched a mass regularization to grant legal status to more than 500,000 undocumented migrants, with a June 30 deadline and about three months to process. If approved, adults receive a one-year work and residence permit (minors get five years), contingent on employment, and families described as hopeful for stability. Initial applications surged to roughly 549,000 in the first month. The policy aims to integrate migrants into Spain’s economy amid an aging population and was described by PM Pedro Sánchez as normalization, but it drew opposition from right‑wing parties and does not grant voting rights. The piece contrasts this approach with the U.S. crackdown on undocumented immigrants under Trump.