More Latin Americans might choose to migrate to Spain instead of the US. The United States began its largest ‘domestic deportation operation’ this year after Donald Trump began his second term. The White House ended immigrant protection in January, and the administration has sent hundreds of immigrants from the country to Latin America and the Caribbean.
The deportations have created what experts call a reverse migration, where people voluntarily leave the US because they have no options. The trend has been led particularly by Venezuelans, who have now been barred from entering the US, choosing to return to the country after they exhausted all their resources, reported DW.
Latin American migrants who often reach the US after braving the Darien Gap, a deadly jungle between Colombia and Panama, are now making the journey back. The countries they return to are also deeply unstable.
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro had even refused to take back deported citizens and had only changed the policy this year under pressure from the white House. The country’s leader has been charged with narco terrorism by the US Department of State, while the country’s population faces harsh living conditions and triple-digit inflation.
As the US shifts its policies against Latin American immigrants, they might have been incentivised to move to Spain.
Spain’s policies on Immigration from Latin America
In May this year, the Spanish government made it easier for migrants to obtain residency and work permits after about 25,000 foreigners were affected by a catastrophic flood in the country. The country also plans to legalise about 900,000 undocumented immigrants over the next three years to expand its labour force.
While many Western countries and their government have been tightening their countries’ policies against migrants, Spain has been bucking the trend. The Spanish government has said that it needs more migrants working legally in the country and contributing to its social security. According to an article by The New York Times, the country saw a surge in immigration from 2021, when it brought in nearly 3 million people outside the European Union.
From data provided by the country’s National Statistics Institute on July 1, the number of immigrants increased by 6,50,000 from last year.
The country began to shift its immigration policies after reports by the UN in the early 2000s said that by 2050, the country’s population would decrease by 9.4 million due to low birth rates. In 2019, it was said that the rural areas in the country were suffering from depopulation, a phenomenon where entire towns disappeared due to a population decline, creating what is called Empty Spain, The Guardian reported.
Pedro Sanchez, the country’s prime minister, said, “Spain needs to choose between being an open and prosperous country or a closed-off, poor country….it’s as simple as that.” A majority of those flying to Spain come from Latin America, according to a report by AP. Sanchez’s government has prioritised immigrants from the region, even allowing them to apply for citizenship after just two years. Latin Americans also easily blend in with the local culture in Spain, are fluent in Spanish and are Catholic.
The population has now hit 49.1 million, growing 13.9 per cent from 2005 when it was just 43.2 million, largely due to immigration. The highest number of immigrants, 8.6 million, reside in Andalusia. Currently, the country’s migrant makes up 15.9 per cent of the population.
Spain’s generous policies toward Latin Americans have also proven to be beneficial for the country. The country has been reliant on migrant workers’ contributions and hails it as a key factor in its economic growth and job creation last year.
In 2024, The Economist cited Spain’s annual GDP growth, saying it was “driven by a robust labour market and high levels of immigration, which mechanically boost economic production.” A Bank of Spain analysis suggested that “immigration contributed over 20% to the near 3% GDP per capita income growth during 2022-2024.”
