Feb 20 • 12:31 UTC 🇪🇸 Spain El Mundo

The Balearic Government requests the withdrawal of the immigrant regularization decree

The Balearic Government has requested the immediate withdrawal of a national decree aimed at regularizing immigrants due to concerns over its adequacy and legal guarantees.

The Balearic Government has voiced its opposition to the extraordinary regularization decree for undocumented immigrants, launched by the central government in Spain, citing significant concerns regarding its implementation. Specifically, the spokesperson Antoni Costa criticized the lack of coordination between the national government and regional administrations, which ultimately bear the responsibility for addressing the needs of these individuals. In the Balearic Islands alone, the decree is expected to impact approximately 10,800 immigrants, while the nationwide figure stands at around 500,000.

Costa's remarks highlight a growing tension between the central government and regional leaders regarding immigration policy, particularly the requirement of co-official languages for regularization, a condition that they believe could complicate the process further. The federal government has made some concessions, agreeing not to demand these language requirements initially, but the Balearic government remains unconvinced, insisting that more comprehensive assurances are necessary before proceeding with the regularization effort.

This situation underscores wider implications for Spain's immigration policy as regional governments push back against central mandates, emphasizing local autonomy and the complexities of implementing national policies in diverse linguistic and cultural contexts. The outcome of this dispute could set a precedent for how immigration policies are executed across various autonomous communities in Spain, affecting thousands of individuals in dire need of legal status and support.

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