Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has publicly responded to American billionaire Elon Musk, after the latter expressed surprise at the Madrid government's decision to give legal documents to hundreds of thousands of irregular migrants living in Spain.
Sanchez's reaction came on the X platform after Musk commented with the word "Wow" on a post criticizing the Spanish government's plan, which could lead to the legalization of up to 500 migrants. One user, Ian Miles Cheong, called the move an "election stunt," claiming that legalizing migrants and speeding up their access to citizenship would create a new bloc of voters loyal to the left.
“Mars can wait, humanity can’t,” Sanchez replied to Musk, referring to the entrepreneur’s ambition to colonize the planet Mars through his company SpaceX. Sanchez’s government, known for its more welcoming policies towards immigrants than other European Union countries, argues that the move is primarily economically motivated. On Tuesday, Spanish authorities announced a plan to provide legal documents to irregular migrants who have lived in Spain for at least five months and who arrived in the country before December 31, 2025. Once legalized, they will be entitled to work in any sector and in any part of the country.
According to the government, the aim of this initiative is to support Spain's economic growth, which in 2025 reached 2.8 percent. However, the decision has caused strong political reactions. The leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijó, described the policy as "absurd", while the leader of the far-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal, accused Sanchez of "replacing" Spaniards, whom he said the prime minister "hates".
- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2026
