Spanish PM defends plans to regularise half a million undocumented migrants

"Some say we've gone too far, that we're going against the current, he said. But I would like to ask you, when did recognising rights become something radical? When did empathy become something exceptional? It comes days after the Socialist-led coalition government approved a decree that it said would regularise half a million people. The initiative, expected to come into effect in April, made headlines around the world for its rejection of the anti-migration policies and rhetoric seen across much of Europe and the US."

"Sanchez said the plans would offer an orderly path to residence for those whose lives were already woven into Spain's social fabric. Half a million people we live with every day, at the market, on the bus, at our children's school. People who care for our parents, work in the fields, who have built, hand in hand with us, the progress of our country, he said. Spain is above all a welcoming country, and this is the path we choose: dignity, community and justice."

Spain's prime minister defended plans to regularise 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers, calling the choice one of dignity, community and justice. A 46-second video showed him speaking in English with Spanish subtitles and responding to critics who argue the move goes against the current. The decree, expected in April, aims to offer an orderly path to residence for people already integrated into Spain's social fabric. The proposal traces to a citizens' initiative signed by more than 700,000 people and backed by much of the Catholic church and roughly 900 social organisations. A deal with Podemos helped secure parliamentary approval and the video has attracted millions of views and international attention.

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