The regularization of 500,000 people's status has stalled in Congress: the PSOE rules out an alternative decree.

MadridThe failure of the transfer of immigration powers to Catalonia agreed between the PSOE and Junts, as well as the PP's toughening of its stance this weekend with a battery of measures on immigration., have put on the table another immigration policy that, despite having made its way through the Congress of Deputies over a year ago, remains stalled. This is the Popular Legislative Initiative (PLI) that calls for the extraordinary regularization of half a million immigrants residing in the State (around 100,000 in Catalonia). Since its consideration in April 2024, progress in the process has been minimal, and there is no sign of its resumption.

For now, the only thing that is clear is that the Spanish government does not plan to regularize these individuals through an alternative decree to the PIL, although the minority partner, Sumar, has proposed it, but Podemos has also demanded it. "The content and nature of the ILP is shared by this government [...]. The ILP currently in Congress includes the signatures of more than 600,000 citizens and 900 organizations, and what I want to convey is the need for the process to continue so that it can be approved as soon as possible," said Spanish government spokesperson Pilar Aleg.

Even before the PP conclave in Murcia, where, among other things, they proposed a points-based visa for foreigners, it was Podemos who demanded that the ILP be unblocked. The purple party voted against Junts' proposal for Catalonia to have powers over immigration and only opened negotiations if the text from Carles Puigdemont's party was withdrawn and the regularization of the 500 immigrants was approved. In fact, that was the price that Podemos put on Junts from the first minute..

This Monday, party spokesperson Pablo Fernández made the demand once again. If the ILP moves forward, Podemos is demanding that the Spanish government approve a normative royal decree (not a royal decree law) to implement the regularization process, so that it doesn't have to be voted on in the Congress of Deputies. "The government must stop making excuses," said Fernández, who called for a repeat of what former Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (PSOE) did in 2005: an extraordinary regularization of immigrants.

The consideration of the ILP, which means that Congress is open to debate on the initiative, was successful with the votes of POSE, the PP—pressured by the Episcopal Conference—and the left-wing parties (Sumar, ERC, Bildu, and BNG). The PNV and Junts also supported it, albeit with nuances, and only the far-right Vox remained on the sidelines. But that consensus has now dissolved.

ERC and Sumar place the responsibility for the lack of progress on the PSOE. In May of this year, the Socialists proposed an alternative text to the ILP, but no steps have been taken since then, according to Sumar sources. For their part, ERC sources in Congress believe that the PSOE has no "real intention of promoting the initiative." "We are in favor, but the PSOE has stalled," they reiterate.

As for Junts, party sources in Madrid say their "priority" is for Catalonia to have more powers over immigration. "What we can't do is talk about the admission of the ILP for processing and have the admission of our powers law for processing stalled," they state. However, the PP has already said it will not vote in favor of the initiative on the table, although it did allow its consideration, if its amendments are not accepted.

The PSOE maintains that they continue working to "try to reach an agreement." But the truth is that the committee that must meet to negotiate and finalize a text doesn't even have a meeting date, so the opinion that must reach the plenary session of Congress will still take a while.