Sanchez on the defensive as Spain to regularise up to 500,000 migrants

Article by Viory

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday defended the legalisation of over half a million migrants, arguing that the move is both economically necessary and morally justified as Spain faces what Sanchez calls a ‘demographic winter’.

“We are doing something that is good for our country, because recognising rights is good and, above all, because migration is contributing very decisively to the economic growth of our country, to the creation of jobs, and also to have the social security accounts as healthy as possible for the pensions of today’s retirees,” Sanchez said during a press conference in Beijing.

He warned that Spain, like many Western countries, is facing a “demographic winter”, with ageing populations placing increasing pressure on labour markets and welfare systems.

Driven by a combination of an ageing workforce and a shrinking younger generation, projections from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) suggest that by 2055, almost one-third of the population will be over the age of 65.

“This is solved in two ways that are not incompatible. One, with family policies that this government is promoting, for example, the extension of paternity and maternity leave. And second, with regular immigration policies,” said the PM.

Sanchez said the proposal has broad backing across sectors of society, including economic and social stakeholders, and suggested it is also supported on ethical grounds.

“I believe it also makes our country better. A country that recognises rights, instead of cutting them back, is a better country, in my opinion,” he said.

The Prime Minister and the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration officially estimate that 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers will benefit from the royal decree approved in early 2026, while other estimates range up to 600,000.

Spain currently has one of the lowest fertility rates in the European Union, with some sources reporting approximately 1.10 births per woman, well below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman required to keep a population stable without immigration.

Article by Viory