More than 1 million undocumented migrants in Spain have applied for legal status under a government scheme, defying a broader European crackdown on irregular immigration, officials said Tuesday as the deadline for submissions ended.
The vast scheme was predicted to benefit around 500,000 people, most from Latin America, when the left-wing government launched it in April.
"The more than 1 million applications submitted ... show how necessary this recognition of rights and responsibilities was," Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told an event in Madrid.
Sanchez has become a standard-bearer of more open immigration policies as his European neighbors – including some Socialist peers – toughen measures in response to pressure from ascendant far-right parties.
He has long argued that immigrants are needed to sustain the economy, the welfare state and pensions amid Spain's aging population and depopulation in rural regions.
