The Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR) has celebrated this Tuesday as a great “popular victory” the definitive approval of the Royal Decree for regularization of migrant people, a measure that will serve to “guarantee rights and dignify the lives of thousands of people” who are already residing in Spain.
The regularization of migrant people, driven by the migrant people's own movements and social organizations, was supported by more than 700,000 citizen signatures. Although it failed to be processed through Congress, it served as an impetus for the Government to be able to approve it today by Royal Decree, responding to broad social and political consensus.
From CEAR we celebrate this historic moment that demonstrates that when there is political will, the popular outcry can be addressed and a necessary and urgent measure approved, which, as in previous regularizations, will bring many people out of clandestinity. It represents a triumph of human and social rights against the reactionary and authoritarian drift.
For the entity, that it is an initiative driven by citizens makes it even more valuable, demonstrating that organized society is capable of exerting great political influence. However, it regrets that it is an extraordinary measure that only resolves punctually the irregular administrative situation of those who were already in the country previously. "The real solution involves establishing structural mechanisms that avoid months and years in irregularity, which only cause situations of extreme vulnerability and great obstacles to accessing basic rights such as healthcare, education, or housing, among others," they point out.
CEAR has recalled that previous regularizations allowed to fight "decisively against labor exploitation and achieve more inclusive and cohesive societies, since they provide legal certainty to people who have long been part of society and contributing in different essential areas". Furthermore, they have underlined that "it not only benefits the migrant population, but also society as a whole, as it is a powerful social inclusion tool essential for building diverse and cohesive societies".
A "great challenge" to present the documentation in two and a half months
The entity has pointed out that now "the great challenge, once the procedures have begun, is that all means are put in place so that this process is effective and leaves no one behind", especially considering "the very short period they will have to submit all the necessary documentation, barely two and a half months". Thus, to try to streamline the process and avoid fraud, the Government has drawn up a list of collaborating entities, which includes several organizations specialized in migration and asylum, among them CEAR.