MADRID (AP) — Around 1 million immigrants in Spain have sought to legalize their status after the Southern European nation launched a measure earlier this year to integrate foreigners living and working in the country without authorization.The window to apply for the program, which was announced in January and kicked off in April, was set to close Tuesday. It offers immigrants without legal status a one-year, renewable residence permit if they have spent five months living in the country and have a clean criminal record. Spain’s government estimated that half a million people could benefit from the program. But by mid June, the government said it had received more than 900,000 applications.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, one of Europe’s prominent progressive leaders, called the measure “an act of justice and a necessity,” arguing that people already living and working in Spain should “do so under equal conditions” and pay taxes.
The policy contrasts starkly with ratcheted-up deportation efforts taking place in other parts of other parts of the European Union and in the United States. While it wasn’t the first time Spain implemented such a policy, it invited intense public debate and scrutiny in the country.Here’s a look at the immigration measure by the numbers.
