The scheme by Spanish Socialist Prime Minsiter Pedro Sánchez to offer amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants is sparking questions over the stability of the European Union’s internal open borders system.
This month, the leftist coalition government in Madrid began its so-called regularisation programme, which will see at least 500,000 up to over a million illegal migrants be granted legal residence permits, provided that they meet the criteria of not having a criminal record and having been in the country since the start of the year.
While the plan, which far-left allies of Prime Minsiter Sánchez have admitted is designed to disenfranchise native conservative voters, has drawn backlash from within Spain, it has also become controversial in fellow European Union member states.
Concerns have been raised that illegal migrants living in other EU countries may travel to Spain to regularise their immigration status, which would effectively stymie local deportation efforts.
Others have noted that it will put pressure on the Schengen Area, the visa-free travel zone within the EU, given that legal residents in any of the signatory countries are free to travel without checks throughout the open borders area.
On Wednesday, French National Rally president and the chairman of the Patriots for Europe in the EU Parliament, Jordan Bardella, warned that “Pedro Sánchez’s Spain is becoming the gateway for migratory flood into Europe” and suggested that Schengen should be limited to only European citizens.
“Schengen must become a European project again,” Bardella said per Le Figaro. “Free movement within the European Union countries, which are signatories of the Schengen agreements, must be strictly reserved for citizens of the European Union countries.”
He said that the Spainsh left was attempting to “create a substitute electorate” but said that it will have significant consequences “all the neighboring countries of Spain.”
Bardella, who currently stands as the frontrunner for next year’s French presidential elections, said that the vote will not only be “important” for France but for the European Union as a whole. While he said that the National Rally does not want to leave the EU, he said that the party wants to “transform everything without destroying anything.”
Bardella made the comments during a press conference in Porto at a meeting of the Patriots group, hosted by rising Portuguese political star André Ventura and his populist anti-mass-migration Chega party.
Ventura said of the Spanish PM’s amnesty scheme: “He wants to give them an entry door that puts all the countries of the European Union in danger. When mass regularisation takes place in Spain, it also puts Portugal in danger.”
Meanwhile, in less than a week after the scheme began in Spain, town halls across the country have begun to report that they have been overwhelmed by a flood of illegals seeking to obtain residency.
According to Madrid’s ABC newspaper, the Zaragoza City Council said, “It’s unsustainable. We’ve spent days standing in lines and queues without the capacity to handle anything else.”
The Sánchez government has claimed that the amnesty push would grant around 500,000 illegals with legal residency; however, estimates from Spain’s National Police have found that it could see upwards of 1.3 million illegals granted permission to remain.
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