Police unions have raised the alarm over a new directive from Ministry of the Interior instructing prisons to facilitate the government’s migrant regularisation process – potentially including foreign inmates.
The move has sparked strong criticism from officers’ groups, who argue it could undermine public safety and contradict earlier government assurances.
The JUPOL union said the decision shows the government’s ‘real objective’ is to maximise the number of migrants granted legal status without properly assessing potential risks.
‘It is especially alarming because it directly contradicts repeated claims that individuals posing a risk to public safety would not be regularised,’ the union said.
According to JUPOL, the new approach could open the door not only to individuals under investigation, but also to those already convicted or in pre-trial detention for serious offences.
Concerns over legal contradictions
Similar concerns were raised by the SUP, which warned the measure introduces a ‘clear contradiction’ into Spain’s migration system.
While pre-trial detention does not equal a conviction, the union noted it is based on judicial assessments of risk, such as the likelihood of reoffending or fleeing.
‘Ignoring that context in an administrative process puts the system’s own security criteria under strain,’ the union said.
The group also highlighted a wider issue that Spain already struggles to enforce deportation orders, with only a small percentage actually carried out due to identification issues, administrative delays and limited cooperation from other countries.
‘Facilitating regularisation from prison reflects a shift in logic,’ the union added, warning that individuals who might otherwise face expulsion could instead enter legal residency processes.
Guardia Civil joins criticism
The JUCIL association also echoed those concerns, calling the policy a ‘flagrant contradiction’.
It pointed out that existing rules require applicants to have no criminal record in order to obtain residency – raising questions about how the new approach would be applied in practice.
‘If implemented, this would create a serious legal inconsistency,’ the group said, warning it could send a ‘dangerous message of impunity’.
The controversy adds to an already heated national debate over Spain’s regularisation plan, which aims to bring hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants into the legal system.
