The president of the Balearic government, Marga Prohens, has criticised the ‘irresponsible’ extraordinary regularisation of migrants that the Council of Ministers plans to approve, arguing that it will contribute to a ‘new pull factor’ for the Balearics. She expressed this view in a message posted on her social media account after learning of the agreement reached between the PSOE and Podemos to approve this measure by royal decree.
‘With the Balearic Islands experiencing their worst migration crisis following the arrival of more than 20,000 illegal immigrants in the last five years and facing the challenge of unsustainable population growth, Sánchez is agreeing to a mass regularisation that will contribute to a new pull factor for our islands,’ criticised the regional leader.
In her opinion, this is ‘irresponsible mass regularisation that rewards irregular entry, encourages mafias that profit from despair and ignores the capacity for integration into society’. Nor does it address, she added, the ‘shortage’ of housing, the capacity of our services or the limited natural resources of the region.
Furthermore, she complained that this regularisation will take place while ‘those who want to stay in order to contribute legally and with an employment contract’ find the immigration services “overwhelmed”. ‘There is not room for everyone here, there is no room for those who do not come to contribute and integrate. Immigration must be legal and orderly. Nationality and residence must be earned, not given away,’ she said.
This extraordinary regularisation is for foreigners who are already in Spain and will be carried out ‘with the aim of guaranteeing rights and providing legal certainty to an existing social reality’, according to sources from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration confirmed to Europa Press. As it is by decree, it will not have to be approved by Parliament.
The agreement sets out a series of requirements to qualify for regularisation, such as having no relevant criminal record. To prove residence in Spain for five months, migrants may provide documents such as the municipal register, medical appointment reports, certificates of attendance at social services or documents such as a rental contract, proof of money transfers, transport tickets, among others.
At the time of submitting the application, any return procedures or expulsion orders for administrative reasons or for working without a permit will be suspended, and once the application is accepted, a temporary residence permit will be granted, allowing the person to work legally and access other fundamental rights, such as healthcare.
If the decision is favourable, a residence permit will be granted for a period of one year, at the end of which an ordinary permit may be requested in accordance with immigration regulations.
The government spokesperson and Minister of Social Security, Migration and Inclusion, Elma Saiz, explained on Tuesday that the extraordinary regularisation of migrants agreed by central government with Podemos will allow foreigners in an irregular situation to apply for regularisation between the beginning of April and 30 June this year.
With this Royal Decree, the Executive is taking up the mandate of the Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP), backed by more than 700,000 signatures and whose consideration was supported in 2024 by all parliamentary groups except Vox (310 votes in favour and 33 against), although it remains stalled in the Lower House.
The text was submitted to Parliament earlier, during the last legislative session, but did not lapse because ILPs do not lapse when Parliament is dissolved. Although some progress has been made during this legislative session, the difficult parliamentary arithmetic has prevented it from advancing beyond consideration.