Migrants queue for amnesty documents at Spanish immigration processing center | Photo: AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti
The figure, reported by local outlets and derived from government platform data, stands in stark contrast to the “half a million” applicants claimed by the Sánchez government when the amnesty process launched, according to Breitbart News.
Spanish newspaper El País reports that while government officials have not formally confirmed the total, the numbers align with data displayed on Mercurio, the official government platform used to register amnesty applications across the country.
María Miyar, director of Social Studies at Spanish non-profit Funcas, told El País that the undocumented population remains difficult to quantify, though police with access to superior data had already indicated the number would surpass 1.3 million.
Miyar cautioned that civil servants will exercise considerable discretion in processing applications based on instructions they receive, noting that some submissions may rely on forged documentation. She expressed uncertainty about final outcomes despite the anticipated high approval numbers.
The amnesty application window opened in mid-April, with the Sánchez administration initially projecting only half a million beneficiaries. Approved applicants will receive legal resident status, work permits, and additional benefits under the program.
Spanish police officers had warned earlier this year that official estimates were unrealistically low, predicting instead that up to 1.35 million illegal migrants could ultimately benefit from the socialist government’s amnesty, as Breitbart News reported in February. Those projections now appear vindicated by the current application total.
As of mid-June, approximately 360,000 amnesty applications had been admitted for processing out of roughly 900,000 filed at that point, according to El País estimates. The newspaper noted it remains publicly unknown whether Spanish authorities have rejected any applications thus far.
Under government plans, authorities have up to three months following the application deadline to resolve each case. The Spanish Migration Ministry is expected to release official statistics this week.
Unnamed sources told Spanish radio network SER that Prime Minister Sánchez himself may present final figures as early as Tuesday, potentially accompanied by an analysis of economic impacts on public finances resulting from the addition of newly employment-eligible individuals.
The Sánchez government has pressed forward with the amnesty program throughout the first half of 2025 despite fierce opposition from Spanish society, parliament, and some European Union member states.
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