Moncloa vetoes the toughening of migrant regularization: says reviewing criminal records would cost 16 million euros

MadridSpanish government veto on the toughening of migrant regularization that was to be approved this Thursday in Congress. Taking into account that, as ARA advanced, Junts endorsed the amendment introduced by the PP in the Senate to the law on repeated offenses to control the criminal records of residence permit applicants and review police reports, Moncloa has decided to use the exceptional powers granted to it by the Constitution to stop it. According to Ser and parliamentary sources confirm to this newspaper, the Spanish government will veto through the Congress's board the changes, arguing that they represent an extra cost for public coffers. Specifically, they have argued that reviewing the criminal records or pending cases of residence applicants would involve an expense of 16 million euros.

Citing Article 134.6 of the Constitution, they assure that "manual consultation of databases of the administration of justice to obtain information on the different cases of criminal records corresponding to 100% of residence permit applicants" or the processing of international applications to "obtain information" from other countries would imply the creation of 400 civil servant positions in the general immigration commission of the National Police, at a cost of 41,967 euros per civil servant position. In total, it would mean "an annual increase in credit for the general administration of the State estimated at 16 million euros" —argues Moncloa.

They also veto another amendment from the PP that proposed creating more prosecutor positions within two years. An action that would imply, argues the Spanish government, a cost of 53 million euros for the State's coffers. In this way, they block the path for the majority of Congress formed by the PP, Junts, and Vox, which intended to limit the migrant regularization agreed upon between the PSOE and Podem.