Spain's Immigration Policy Criticised

EU Member States, Austria, Germany and The Netherlands, have critisised fellow EU Member State Spain for its immigration policy.

Last year Spain legalised 600,000 illegal immigrants living in the country. At an EU summit in Finland, Spain asked other EU Member States to help financially with the country's illegal immigration problem. Spain is particularly vulnerable to illegal immigration due to the short distance between it and North Africa. In addition the Canary Islands, part of Spain, lie close to the coast of West Africa.

A spokesperson for Austria is reported to have said that to legalise people ?sent the wrong signal?.

A Spanish spokesperson responded by starting that it is poverty and hunger which force people to leave their own countries, not the domestic laws of foreign States.

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