Tuesday marked the final day for submitting applications under the legalization process launched in April. The government had estimated about 500,000 people would apply, but by the end of June, more than 1 million applications had been filed.
"The conclusion of the mass legalization process confirms the scale of the migration challenge and the government's improvisation", El Mundo wrote, adding that the gap between official estimates and the final number of applications "is too large".
"Either the government did not know how many people were living in Spain illegally, or it underestimated the scope of the measure, or the process triggered a pull effect that exceeded its forecasts", the paper said.
El Mundo argued that, for demographic and economic reasons, accepting immigrants is a necessity for Spain, saying immigrants make a significant contribution to economic growth, sustain entire sectors and support the functioning of the welfare state.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defended his government's migration policy Tuesday, pointing to immigrants' substantial contribution to the country's GDP. The opposition, particularly the far-right Vox party, has sharply criticized the socialist government's approach.
Spain has carried out similar legalization processes under previous governments. The first was launched by the socialist government of Felipe Gonzalez (1982-1996), and a comparable measure was later introduced by the right-wing government of Jose Maria Aznar (1996-2004). The largest such effort to date came in 2005 under the socialist government of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, benefiting more than 575,000 people.
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Source: PAP