Spain carves a different path on immigration

Many wealthy countries face a painful trade-off: more immigration would boost economies and shore up shrinking workforces, but the topic is politically charged. Spain, which has one of the lowest birthrates in Europe and a shrinking native-born workforce, said last month it would give hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants a path to legal status by decree.

The center-left government framed the move as necessary; Borja Suárez Corujo said, "Migration is the only way forward." The policy builds on a long practice of regularizing migrants who can show roots in the community, such as employment, family or social ties.

That route — and the recent amnesty — avoids some of the biggest triggers for anti-immigrant sentiment.

Spain

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