Spain’s Socialist Workers’ Party Will Grant Amnesty To 500,000 Foreigners In Country



(Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP via Getty Images)

Christine Sellers Contributor
April 14, 2026 1:03 PM ET

Spain’s Socialist Workers’ Party has authorized plans to grant amnesty to 500,000 illegal migrants in the country, authorities said.

Pedro Sanchez, Spain’s prime minister and general secretary of the Socialist Workers’ Party, said in an April 14 statement shared on X that the Council of Ministers would approve a move to grant amnesty to migrants.

“The Council of Ministers will approve today the Royal Decree that initiates the process of extraordinary regularization of people in an irregular situation in our country. An act of normalization, of recognizing the reality of nearly half a million people who already form part of our daily life. And, also, an act of justice and a necessity,” Sanchez said, according to an X translation.

“We recognize rights, but we also demand obligations. That those who already form part of our day-to-day do so under equal conditions, contributing to the sustenance of our country and our model of coexistence.”

“Today, once again, I feel proud to be Spanish,” he continued.

Pedro Sánchez
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El Consejo de Ministros aprobará hoy el Real Decreto que da inicio al proceso de regularización extraordinaria de personas en situación irregular en nuestro país.

Un acto de normalización, de reconocer la realidad de casi medio millón de personas que ya forman parte de nuestra

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3:31 AM · Apr 14, 2026

The move will provide amnesty to 500,000 illegal migrants and allow them to be formally integrated into the Spanish workforce, according to the BBC. The government will offer migrants a one-year renewable residence permit. Migrants seeking amnesty must apply between April 16 and the end of June. They must also prove they have been living in Spain for five months and have no criminal record, the outlet reported.

A man identified only as Ricardo, who plans to apply for amnesty, feels the move is beneficial.

“This is going to benefit a lot of people, give them access to work and to a better quality of life. And it means more money for the Spanish state and more workers will be legally available for employers,” he said, according to the BBC.

Spanish think-tank Funcas estimates there are about 840,000 illegal migrants in Spain, the outlet reported. According to the Associated Press (AP), Spain’s population has increased in recent years and includes about 10 million people who were born outside of Spain.

Spain previously granted migrants amnesty six times between 1986 and 2005, including under right-wing governments, according to the AP.

Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of Spain’s conservative People’s Party, appeared to respond to the country’s push for amnesty in an April 14 post shared on X.

“Mass regularization goes against the majority of Spaniards, who want to be able to control who enters their country and under what conditions. It is inhumane, unfair, unsafe, and unsustainable,” he wrote.

Immigration offices across Spain have threatened to strike in response to the country’s plans to grant amnesty to migrants, Reuters reported.

https://dailycaller.com/2026/04/14/s...hez-socialist/