MADRID, Spain — The Spanish Ministry of the Interior has reportedly issued directives prohibiting National Police officers from initiating expulsion proceedings against repeat foreign offenders who have already applied for residency regularization, a move that law enforcement sources warn is severely hampering efforts to combat recidivism.
Nearly 1 Million Apply as Spain Completes Historic Immigration Regularization
According to police sources, officers are receiving verbal instructions from their superiors to refrain from opening expulsion files for detained foreign nationals who have previously submitted regularization requests. These directives, which are reportedly delivered orally to avoid a written paper trail, are justified by the ministry as a measure of “administrative efficiency.” Authorities argue that initiating the costly and lengthy deportation process is a waste of resources if the individual is highly likely to achieve legal residency status anyway, which would subsequently render them immune to expulsion despite their criminal record.
Under standard procedure, the arrest of a foreign national for a criminal offense typically triggers the opening of an expulsion file by the relevant Government Delegation. The detained individual is usually transferred to a Foreigner Internment Center (CIE), which serves as a holding facility while Spanish authorities coordinate with the individual’s country of origin to verify their citizenship and facilitate deportation. However, the new directive effectively bypasses this protocol, leaving officers to repeatedly detain and release the same individuals.
Law enforcement officials have expressed deep concern over the exploitation of this system by repeat offenders. Some individuals are known to use multiple false identities to complicate and delay their expulsion. For instance, some offenders have historically claimed Algerian nationality, taking advantage of the fact that Algeria previously refused to recognize its citizens detained in Spain for criminal activities. While Algerian authorities have recently begun cooperating, the process remains slow, prompting offenders with dual or fabricated nationalities to strategically identify as Algerian to stall deportation efforts.
Interior prohíbe a la Policía pedir la expulsión de los extranjeros reincidentes si han solicitado ya la regularización.
— okdiario.com (@okdiario) July 29, 2026
✍️ Ángel Moya (@AngelMoyatv) https://t.co/UxdKKWmZLR
The bureaucratic delays inherent in the Spanish legal framework have resulted in prolonged situations that benefit repeat offenders. A prominent example recently occurred in Girona, where the local Government Subdelegation took two years to finalize the expulsion of a 44-year-old repeat Senegalese offender. The individual, an undocumented resident of Figueres, was well-known to both the Mossos d’Esquadra and the National Police for a daily pattern of violent robberies, severe threats, assaults on law enforcement, and even an attempted homicide.
Despite being perfectly localized and continuously offending in the Figueres neighborhood, the suspect was not formally detained for deportation until the Government Subdelegation in Girona finally concluded the lengthy expulsion process that had been initiated in 2024. Police sources attribute this delay primarily to the bureaucratic obstacles and lack of cooperation from the individual’s country of origin.
Nearly Half Of Spaniards Oppose Government’s Immigration Regularization Program
The situation highlights a growing friction between administrative immigration policies and public safety mandates. Law enforcement agencies argue that the current legislative framework allows expulsion processes to become indefinitely prolonged, creating a cycle of recidivism that leaves local communities vulnerable.
