I’m a Spanish Taxpayer. This Is Why the West Doesn’t Need to Reward Illegal Immigrants.
Spain has just announced the regularization of half a million undocumented immigrants. Pedro Sánchez published an article in the New York Times on Thursday (“I’m the Prime Minister of Spain. This Is Why the West Needs Migrants”), congratulating himself on the measure — but his piece included several inaccuracies and omissions, as well as a bunch of nonsense, as is usual from the author. In reality, the proposed regularization will affect closer to one million undocumented immigrants, a figure that could soon rise to two million thanks to family reunification policies. While this is theoretically a matter for each state, Giorgia Meloni has asked the EU to halt the regularization to prevent a surge of undocumented migrants in the Mediterranean.
This is an irresponsible project that the social-communist government is pushing through by force, using the legal mechanism of a decree-law to bypass debate in Congress, where it lacks the support to pass. This is exactly the same as what dictators do.
Sánchez leans on the argument that Spain was once a country of emigrants, but that’s a trap.
Sánchez leans on the argument that Spain was once a country of emigrants, but that’s a trap: yes, Spaniards emigrated to the Americas and other parts of Europe in the 20th century seeking prosperity, but that migration was far more orderly and regulated. Most left Spain with state-managed contracts. By contrast, Spain was then a poor but European and stable country, whereas a significant portion of today’s immigration comes from failed states, extreme structural poverty, or war — and, unlike Spaniards who were heading to Switzerland or Argentina, many arrive with minimal willingness to adapt, unless you consider machete attacks in the streets a literal friendly invitation to mix with Spanish blood.
Spain needs immigration with guarantees — people coming with work contracts, no criminal record, and willing to adapt. Otherwise, public services teeter on the brink of collapse, and sustaining the Welfare State will become increasingly difficult. For instance, since 2000, the population has grown by 20 percent, while per capita investment in infrastructure has dropped 38 percent. These figures are central to the debate in Spain following a recent train accident that killed 46 people and exposed the deterioration of the railway system under Sánchez’s administration.
Crime is also a major concern. The government will not require criminal record certificates from undocumented immigrants benefiting from this measure — only a sworn statement denying any criminal activity. Police unions consider this a bad joke.
Furthermore, Sánchez’s social policies encourage many immigrants not to work. Once regularized, an unemployed immigrant will have access to the minimum living income, regional aid, housing assistance, full public healthcare, and school meal grants for their children. Often, the difference between working or not is earning $330 more while dedicating 40 hours a week to a low-quality job. Immigrants know perfectly well that if they work, they lose the benefits.
Sánchez claims Spain is enjoying a period of prosperity, but family economics tell a different story: the cost of groceries has risen 45.6 percent since 2019, Sánchez has imposed more than a hundred new taxes during his term — with 80 percent of the burden falling on the middle class and self-employed — and net wages have fallen by an average of 2.5 percent.
He ends his article with an appeal to charity, which brings to mind one of Javier Milei’s most famous videos from before he became president. I’ll skip the 50 or so curse words delivered in barely 15 seconds and focus on the message: “If those in government want to do charity, let them do it with their damn money.”
Not even the socialist supporters of regularization dare answer this question: What message are you sending to future immigrants after granting legal status to those who entered by breaking the law and violating our borders?
Anyway, I, just like Sánchez, have found a fair and quick solution to this situation: let the New York Times, which willingly acts as the megaphone for Europe’s biggest liar, host that one million illegal immigrants in its offices. That’s a win-win. Everyone’s happy.
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