Some say we've gone too far': What's really behind Sanchez's plan to regularise' 500,000 undocumented migrants in Spain?

"You don't need a degree in political science to understand why so many supposedly centrist European leaders have begun talking about immigration in terms that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago. Far-right parties across the continent have fuelled their rise by seizing on the issue as a political cosh with which to beat their more mainstream and established rivals, whom they accuse of complacency, inaction and a failure to defend borders."

"Under the time-limited plan, successful applicants will be given a legal residence permit in Spain with an initial validity of one year. Some say we've gone too far, that we're going against the current, Sanchez said in a video posted on social media last Friday. But I would like to ask you, when did recognising rights become something radical? When did empathy become something exceptional?"

Far-right parties across Europe have seized immigration as a political cudgel, accusing mainstream rivals of complacency, inaction and border failures. Many centrist and centre-right leaders have adopted the far-right's tougher language to placate voters, with examples including Keir Starmer, Friedrich Merz and Olaf Scholz endorsing large-scale deportations. Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez announced a temporary regularisation granting one-year residence permits to 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers. Sanchez framed the policy as recognition of rights and empathy rather than radicalism. The conservative People's Party warned of overwhelmed public services, while the far-right Vox revived replacement rhetoric.

Read at www.theguardian.com