Growth or retreat: Sánchez lays out Spain’s case for migrant legalisation

When governments confront undocumented migration, the usual response is enforcement, detention and deportation. Spain has chosen another path. In a recent essay for The New York Times, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez argued that regularising undocumented migrants is not an act of weakness, but a moral and economic necessity — and one that could offer a model for other Western nations.

Sánchez was referring to a decree issued by his government last month that opens a fast-track process for up to half a million undocumented migrants living in Spain to obtain temporary residence permits, renewable after one year if certain conditions are met. These migrants, Sánchez noted, are already deeply embedded in Spanish society. They care for the elderly, work in agriculture and industry, and participate in everyday community life — yet lack legal status and basic rights.

“What should we do with these people?” Sánchez asked, contrasting Spain’s approach with what he described as “unlawful and cruel” deportation campaigns carried out elsewhere. His government, he said, opted for regularisation for two reasons: morality and pragmatism.

On moral grounds, Sánchez pointed to Spain’s own history as a nation of emigrants. During the mid-20th century and again after the 2008 financial crisis, millions of Spaniards left in search of opportunity abroad.

“It is our duty,” he wrote, “to become the welcoming and tolerant society that our own relatives would have hoped to find on the other side of our borders.”

The second reason, Sánchez argued, is demographic reality. Western countries are aging, fertility rates are falling, and labour shortages threaten economic growth and public services.

“The West needs people,” he wrote, warning that without migration, economies will stagnate and pension and health care systems will come under strain. Technology alone, he added, cannot solve the problem in the short or medium term.

Sánchez acknowledged that migration presents challenges, but rejected the idea that these stem from migrants’ identity. Instead, he attributed social tensions to broader structural issues such as inequality, poverty and barriers to education and health care — problems that affect citizens and migrants alike.

Despite political resistance across Europe, Sánchez emphasised that Spain’s policy has broad domestic backing. The regularisation initiative originated as a citizen-led campaign supported by more than 900 organisations, including the Catholic Church, as well as business associations and labour unions. According to a recent poll cited by Sánchez, nearly two-thirds of Spaniards view migration as either an opportunity or a necessity.

Responding to criticism from far-right leaders who portray migration as national suicide, Sánchez pointed to Spain’s economic performance. Over the past three years, Spain has recorded the fastest growth among Europe’s largest economies, created nearly one-third of all new EU jobs, and reduced unemployment to below 10 per cent for the first time in nearly two decades.

“This prosperity,” Sánchez wrote, “is the result of Spanish citizens’ hard work, the E.U.’s collective effort and an inclusive agenda that views migrants as necessary partners.”

Ultimately, Sánchez framed migration as a defining choice for Western societies: “growth or retreat.”

Closing borders, he warned, would lead to isolation and decline, while openness could sustain both economic vitality and human dignity. 

"For me, the choice is clear. And for the sake of our prosperity and human dignity, I hope many others will follow suit," he finalised. 

By Sabina Mammadli