Spanish police say government is sidelining them from migrant regularization
Spain's police denounce being excluded from the regularization of 500,000 migrants. A security risk or just an administrative turf war?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Police left out of the mass regularization: risk or bureaucratic squabble?
On Wednesday, the BOE (Spain's official state gazette) published the Royal Decree that will regularize more than 500,000 irregular migrants, according to government estimates. The text relegates the National Police to a secondary role: it will only step in if officials at the Foreigners' Offices (Oficinas de Extranjería) detect anomalies. The Unified Police Union (SUP) and JUPOL have denounced that they are being pushed out of the process, warning that real capacity to cross-check information, verify records and detect document fraud is being lost.
Dividing up the administrative pie
The centralization in the Foreigners' Offices, which answer to the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, has sparked a war between ministries. While the Interior Ministry demands control, the other side argues that the police complaint is not about national security but a dispute over resources and budget. "Mass regularization is an administrative business," notes an internal analysis: whoever manages the paperwork controls staffing flows, hiring and the relationship with NGOs. The question is whether efficiency and security can be sacrificed in this tug-of-war.
A self-declaration of incivil records?
One of the most controversial points is the possibility that a mere self-declaration by the applicant regarding their incivil record may suffice, with no verification by the police. "Are they seriously going to accept incivil records issued by the country of origin for regularization?" asks a critical camp that sees a free pass for incivil to wipe their slates clean. Others reply that the police unions are exaggerating and that a document verification system already exists, albeit with less capacity than the police would have.
Mixed reactions: security vs. efficiency
Positions are clearly divided. On one side, those who see the measure as a "incivil operation" that will regularize offenders and rapists, with a strong alarmist streak. On the other, those who reduce the conflict to a "cockfight" between officials over control of the gravy train, arguing that national security is a pretext. In between are voices denouncing the botched process, but also those who point out that in practice the police already cooperate.
The irony is that while the government boasts of bringing order to migratory flows, the main control tool — the police — is being sidelined. The final outcome will depend on whether the bureaucracy can replace police intelligence. Given the track record, that does not look like an optimistic forecast.
Related discussions in the forum
On Wednesday, the BOE (Spain's official state gazette) published the Royal Decree that will regularize more than 500,000 irregular migrants, according to government estimates. The text relegates the National Police to a secondary role: it will only step in if officials at the Foreigners' Offices (Oficinas de Extranjería) detect anomalies. The Unified Police Union (SUP) and JUPOL have denounced that they are being pushed out of the process, warning that real capacity to cross-check information, verify records and detect document fraud is being lost.
Dividing up the administrative pie
The centralization in the Foreigners' Offices, which answer to the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, has sparked a war between ministries. While the Interior Ministry demands control, the other side argues that the police complaint is not about national security but a dispute over resources and budget. "Mass regularization is an administrative business," notes an internal analysis: whoever manages the paperwork controls staffing flows, hiring and the relationship with NGOs. The question is whether efficiency and security can be sacrificed in this tug-of-war.
A self-declaration of incivil records?
One of the most controversial points is the possibility that a mere self-declaration by the applicant regarding their incivil record may suffice, with no verification by the police. "Are they seriously going to accept incivil records issued by the country of origin for regularization?" asks a critical camp that sees a free pass for incivil to wipe their slates clean. Others reply that the police unions are exaggerating and that a document verification system already exists, albeit with less capacity than the police would have.
Mixed reactions: security vs. efficiency
Positions are clearly divided. On one side, those who see the measure as a "incivil operation" that will regularize offenders and rapists, with a strong alarmist streak. On the other, those who reduce the conflict to a "cockfight" between officials over control of the gravy train, arguing that national security is a pretext. In between are voices denouncing the botched process, but also those who point out that in practice the police already cooperate.
The irony is that while the government boasts of bringing order to migratory flows, the main control tool — the police — is being sidelined. The final outcome will depend on whether the bureaucracy can replace police intelligence. Given the track record, that does not look like an optimistic forecast.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (24 replies).
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