Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has publicly defended his government’s proposal to grant legal status to undocumented migrants after a brief exchange with Elon Musk on X, telling the tech billionaire: ‘Mars can wait. Humanity can’t.’
The initiative, approved on Tuesday by Sánchez’s left-leaning coalition administration, could allow up to 500,000 undocumented workers to regularise their status, marking a clear departure from the tougher migration policies adopted in other parts of Europe. ALSO READ: Spain to grant legal status to around 500,000 undocumented migrants.
Musk, who owns X, shared a link to a post by far-right influencer Ian Miles Cheong criticising the plan, adding only the comment ‘Wow’ (see below).
In the widely circulated post — which has drawn around 14 million views — Cheong described the measure as ‘electoral engineering’, writing: ‘The logic is simple: legalise half a million people, fast-track them to citizenship (which takes as little as two years for many), and you’ve effectively imported a massive, loyal voting bloc that’s indebted to the left.’
Sánchez responded directly to Musk late on Thursday, replying to his post with the remark: ‘Mars can wait. Humanity can’t’ (see below).
Musk is the founder of aerospace firm SpaceX, which is developing Starship — the most powerful rocket ever built — as part of his long-term ambition to send humans to Mars.
The Spanish prime minister has repeatedly argued that immigration is essential to Spain’s economic health. The country’s economy grew by 2.8% last year, more than double the average growth forecast for the eurozone. ALSO READ: PM Sánchez defends Spain’s immigration model, urging Europe to take note.
With Spain grappling with an ageing population and a persistently low birth rate, Sánchez says migrants play a crucial role in supporting the labour market and safeguarding the pension system. ALSO READ: ‘We owe a lot to them’ – Sánchez hails benefits of ‘safe, orderly, regular migration’.
The opposition right-wing People’s Party (PP), along with the far-right Vox party, have strongly criticised the plan, warning that the mass regularisation could act as a magnet for further illegal immigration.
Will the 500,000 undocumented migrants be able to vote in Spain?
A general election is due in Spain before the end of 2027. Granting legal status in Spain to 500,000 undocumented migrants will not make them eligible to vote in that general election.
Once people acquire legal residency in Spain – which in itself can sometimes take years in the application process – it allows them to participate in municipal elections, but only if their country has an agreement with Spain. The census for municipal elections in Spain would not change until 2031.
If migrants are from Latin America, the Philippines or Equatorial Guinea, they would be able to apply for Spanish citizenship after living legally in Spain for two years, which would then allow them to participate in all elections. However, there are also often administrative delays in processing any applications.
Having residency in Spain is not the only requirement for later obtaining Spanish citizenship, if someone wants to apply. There are many other requirements. The minimum waiting period is also not two years for all applicants.
Many migrants with residency never apply for Spanish citizenship because, in most cases, it implies renouncing their original citizenship.
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Mars can wait. Humanity can’t. https://t.co/Oc4qAYtd3f
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) January 29, 2026
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2026
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