Spain's Reactive Immigration Policy Amid EU's Border Externalization Strategy

The European Commission recently unveiled a new migration policy emphasizing the reduction of irregular arrivals and the externalization of border control. According to European Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Brunner, "the priority is clear: to reduce the numbers of irregular arrivals and keep them low." This plan involves establishing 'return hubs' outside the EU to enhance expulsion effectiveness, as currently only about a quarter of migrants with expulsion orders leave the EU. The Commission's strategy also includes pressuring third countries such as Tunisia, Mauritania, Egypt, and Morocco, which receive aid in exchange for cooperation, to readmit rejected asylum seekers. However, this externalization approach has drawn criticism from Amnesty International for potentially implicating the EU in human rights violations through reliance on third countries.

In contrast, Spain faces internal pressures highlighted by the recent Adamuz accident, where 45 people died, intensifying scrutiny on the Spanish government's immigration approach. Observers note Spain's long-standing reactive rather than proactive immigration policy, often resulting in ad-hoc measures. The government has proposed an extraordinary regularization of undocumented immigrants, aiming to integrate them formally and address labor market contributions. Nonetheless, this initiative confronts legal challenges from opposition parties demanding parliamentary debate and warns against politicizing immigration amid crises.

This dichotomy illustrates the wider challenges within the EU and Spain in managing migration. While the EU focuses on externalizing border control and selectively attracting migrant talent to meet labor shortages, Spain grapples with political and humanitarian pressures without a cohesive national immigration strategy. Concerns over public health, as Spain was recently excluded from the WHO's measles-free list, underscore the complexities of integrating immigrant populations.

The EU's plan to maintain control over who enters its territory contrasts with Spain's urgent but fragmented response to migration issues. Amnesty International's critique of the EU's externalization policy and the domestic debates over extraordinary regularization reflect the tensions between restrictive border policies and the necessity for comprehensive immigration reform within member states like Spain.