MADRID – More than one million people have applied to get legal status in Spain as part of a divisive migrant amnesty that ended on Tuesday.
Chaotic scenes were witnessed in the early days of the scheme in May when migrants tried to climb over the wall of the Gambian Embassy in Madrid in order to submit papers.
The move defied a crackdown on irregular immigration in other parts of Europe and the United States. But despite fierce opposition from some in Spain, its Prime Minister has championed the plan. “The more than one million applications submitted… show how necessary this recognition of rights and responsibilities was,” Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.
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It has raised questions over whether the UK – one of Spain’s only neighbours with a left-wing administration – should follow suit.
