The Spanish Government, led by the socialist Pedro Sánchez, reactivated this week the negotiations to promote the Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) that would allow the regularization of about 470,000 illegal immigrants in the country.
This is the largest proposal of its kind since 2005 and, according to its promoters, seeks to recognize the "reality of thousands of people who already reside and work in the country without papers." However, the project is not without criticism and has raised concerns about its possible negative effects on the immigration system, the labor market, and social cohesion.
Driven by far-left groups, the initiative had been frozen for more than a year in the Congress of Deputies, until in September 2024 the Congress Board decided to unblock its legislative processing, allowing the parliamentary debate to advance.
The current text, presented by the socialist parliamentary group, contemplates a “unique authorization for exceptional circumstances” to regularize those who were already in Spanish territory before December 31, 2024.
