Spain finalizes migrant amnesty measure

At least 500,000 in the country without authorization are thought to be eligible.

- By Suman NAISHADHAM

Spain’s government on Tuesday finalized a migrant amnesty measure that it announced earlier this year, paving the way for hundreds of thousands of immigrants living and working without authorization in the southern European nation to apply for legal status.

The approach sharply differs from much of Europe’s prevailing attitudes on immigration, in which governments are trying to reduce the number of arrivals and step up deportations, and it contrasts with the harsh immigration policies of the Trump administration.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hailed the measure as “an act of justice and a necessity.” He reiterated his government’s position that people who already live and work in the country of 49 million people should “do so under equal conditions” and pay taxes.

“We recognize rights, but we also demand obligations,” Sanchez wrote on social media.