"Migrant Regularization Advocacy: NGOs Celebrate the Initiative, Urgently Call for Expansion"
After over a year of inactivity, the Government has revived the Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) aimed at regularizing around half a million migrants in an irregular situation in Spain.
The ILP, which earned over 700,000 signatures and is supported by approximately 900 organizations, has garnered remarkable support in the country. Few popular initiatives have received such widespread backing, and few have managed to gain parliamentary traction. The ILP was favorably voted for consideration by all parliamentary groups, save for Vox.
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), initially skeptical of this measure, has now accelerated negotiations to expedite its approval. However, the current complex parliamentary arithmetic may hinder its swift passage.
Organizations promoting the regularization applaud the renewed momentum, attributing it largely to the recent approval of the new immigration regulation. The new regulation left thousands of people "without documentation overnight," according to Edith Espinosa, spokesperson for Regularization Ya!.
Key points of the ILP for migrant regularization:
- Individuals eligible for regularization should have arrived in Spain before the cutoff date, which is being negotiated and may extend beyond December 31, 2024.
- Eligible individuals must demonstrate they have no criminal record and a year of residence in Spain, or evidence of vulnerability. Additional conditions may be outlined in subsequent decrees.
- The scheme is intended to be transitional, exceptional, and time-limited, addressing the regularization needs of a significant number of migrants.
A "very positive" step, but with room for improvement:
Espinosa views the resumption of the law's processing as "encouraging," yet she believes the ongoing negotiations involving the PSOE and other parliamentary groups could result in an improvable text. For instance, the proposed date for regularization should ideally be extended to at least May 20, 2025, when the new immigration regulation took effect.
The Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR) sees the revived ILP as a "very positive step" as it will address some deficiencies in the new immigration regulation's drafting.
This reform could benefit some groups but potentially harm asylum seekers, according to Espinosa.
Reform of the Immigration Regulation:
The recently enacted reform of the Aliens Act, effective since May 20, 2025, aims to streamline immigration procedures. These changes complement the ILP by introducing new regularization mechanisms. However, some aspects of the regulation may not cater to all vulnerable individuals or those with rejected asylum applications.
Approximately 275,000 asylum seekers could potentially be affected by the proposed ILP. In total, around 800,000 individuals may find themselves in an irregular administrative situation, a substantial group in need of resolution, according to advocates from Regularization Now!
The organizations supporting the ILP advocate for its benefits to both migrants and society as a whole. Regularization would provide "peace of mind" to the affected individuals, allowing them to exercise their rights and improve coexistence. Furthermore, it could surface thousands of jobs currently in the informal economy, increasing contributions to Social Security.
The government aims to create a development regulation within six months of the measure's approval. However, summit partners and Regularization Now! view this deadline as excessively long compared to the wait since 2021. The pressure to accelerate the regularization process is growing, as a delay could extend the waiting period for the ILP's implementation by nearly five years.
Critics urge Congress to show "political height" and fulfill its commitment to citizens by swiftly processing the ILP. In a world with diminishing humanitarian measures and alarming regulations for migrants, it is argued Spain should take the moral lead in setting a more compassionate course.
The organizations advocating for the ILP view the resumption of its processing as a "very positive step" that could provide benefits to both migrants and society as a whole, offering "peace of mind" to affected individuals and potentially surfacing thousands of jobs in the informal economy. However, the ongoing negotiations involving the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and other parliamentary groups could result in an improvable text, with some advocates like Edith Espinosa from Regularization Ya! calling for an extension of the regularization date to at least May 20, 2025, to align with the new immigration regulation's effective date.
