A few weeks ago, a Guardian article with this title described how a Spanish town took a very significant decision over the treatment of its migrants. But first, some background. The UK is not the only target destination for migrants seeking a safer or a more prosperous life; in fact, Spain receives considerably more migrants – both regular and ‘irregular’. In 2024, the population of Spain was 48.6 million people, including 642,296 migrants who arrived in 2023. By comparison, the UK migrant figure for 2024 was 431,000, a much lower figure in absolute and per capita terms, given the UK population totals some £70 million. The unanimous decision taken by the people of Villamalea to regularise undocumented migrants contrasts significantly with the anti-migrant attitudes and actions of certain UK politicians, a large sector of the British press, and the apparent current weight of support for Reform and its xenophobic policies.
So, what exactly happened in Villamalea? A town council motion, approved by all parties, called on the central government to regularise undocumented migrants in Spain. “There’s a lot of work to be done here”, said the mayor. In fact, migrant labour has helped turn the town into an agricultural heavyweight, producing 70 per cent of the mushrooms sold in Spain. At the same time, Villamalea has been transformed into a “rich tapestry of residents whose roots trace back to 32 countries.” Companies based in the town are desperate to recruit workers, and the vote was to regularise the migrants already there. “It’s not just economics, it’s a question of humanity,” said the mayor.
In fact, many of the older residents of Villamalea themselves went abroad in search of work, some with papers and jobs to go to, others with neither. Indeed, Spain used to be ‘a country of emigrants’ – people looking to escape poverty and find prosperity working abroad. So, in a sense, the older generation in Villamalea understand and accept the migrants. The diversity in terms of ethnicity, culture and religion is even celebrated, for example in shared religious experiences, coming together to pray. The residents of Villamalea cannot understand the national politicians like the far-right party VOX, who try to create division and speak out against migrants.
EU-wide, migrants are proving to be a major driver in advancing economies. Germany’s economic statistics reflect this, and even Giorgia Meloni, whose policies have been to reduce immigration, now acknowledges that Italy must grant 500,000 new work visas, more than doubling the number of migrants who have arrived since she came to power. Yet Spain is the European country which takes the most asylum seekers. Compared with other European countries, the UK received the fifth largest number of asylum seekers in 2024 (108,138) and the seventeenth largest intake when measured ‘per head of population’.
Humanidad y convivencia (Humanity and coexistence)
This is something I recognise constantly in the Spanish village in which I spend several weeks every year, spread over three or four visits (conforming to the post-Brexit Schengen limits, of course!). As I have written elsewhere, this village has a high proportion of migrants from various countries – almost 30, according to the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall), many of them from northern European countries. I recently saw an American car in the village, registered in … Estonia! There is a high degree of integration, and most of the migrants make the effort to speak Spanish. The Ayuntamiento helps by providing (sometimes doubtful) English translations of its publications, and even of information signs around the village, such as ‘Mari’s corner shop’! Migrants and locals come together for the annual Día del Residente, with stalls in the village square presenting the cultural and culinary specialities of many nations. Not all of the migrants are Europeans; we’ll consider other groups of migrants later …
Our village has survived and prospered for centuries thanks to its unique climate and landscape – suited to the cultivation of traditional crops like grapes and olives. However, it has had to adapt over recent decades to new and more lucrative products – avocado, níspero (loquat), and now mango. Unfortunately, many of the agricultores are becoming too aged to be able to work in the difficult terrain – terraces and mountainsides – on which many of the orchards are planted. Climate change is also taking its toll with hotter, drier conditions for much of the year. Most of the younger generation aspire to study and obtain more remunerative employment on the coast and in the bigger towns and cities. Of the families we know, many of the children leave the village; there is just one family in which the three adult sons help the father cultivating its fruit crops: the exception!
So, the solution to the manpower problem is solved in the same way as in Villamelea. Over the 15 years in which we have got to know the village well, it has acquired a population of young Moroccans (some of whom may well have arrived in Spain crossing the Mediterranean in small boats). Now, much of the local agricultural work is being done by younger, fitter men under the supervision of the older locals. What is more, many of the Moroccan wives work for one or other of the social care companies which provide cuidadoras for the many older people who need carers. As well as Moroccan women, some of the carers are from Hispano-America, like Hilda from Paraguay, who accompanies our 84-year-old friend Angeles to the village gym. Every day Angeles cycles 20-30 kilometres on an exercise bike, with her carer wiping the sweat from her brow and handing her water bottle to her when asked.
Hispano-America
Talking of people from Hispano-America, there is a Venezuelan waitress and a Colombian carer. Isela, a Mexican waitress, knows exactly how we like our daily coffee in the square; she is married to a German. On the way up to the square, we often chat to an elderly couple sitting on the bench outside their house: their carer is from Argentina. Recently, at a restaurant on the coast, our waiter was an Argentinian, identifiable by his ‘ch …’ pronunciation which gave the revolutionary Ernesto Guevara the nickname ‘Che’. Like the UK, Spain has migrants from all of its former colonies.
The contribution of migrants in the wealthier countries has been considerable, if not always acknowledged, least of all in the UK. However, the European Commission has recognised “the clear contribution” of migration to the Spanish labour market and growth”, as reported in the Málaga newspaper Sur in English in its article published on 18 November 2025. The article is headed: “Brussels confirms that Spain is the economic engine of the EU”, with the fastest growth rate and a very healthy economy. In large measure this can be credited to Spain’s pragmatic response to the inward flow of migrants.
Two-way street
Of course, migration has always been a two-way process, which is why we used to use the term ‘emigrants’ for those leaving as well as ‘immigrants’ for those arriving. When we’re in the village, we often see Carlos around and about or sitting on his doorstep; I chat to him in French rather than Spanish (need the practice!) Like many others, he left the village decades ago to work abroad, in his case in eastern France. He and his wife had all their children in France and brought them up there. Their children have stayed living and working there, having dual nationality, whilst he and his wife have returned to the village for their retirement. Jorge, the owner of one of the village bars, was born and brought up in Zurich, and until recently he ran the bar built by his parents with their earnings in Switzerland.
The demographic pyramid
The problem is that many prosperous countries have a changing demographic pyramid. It used to be the case that the widest sector was that of the younger generation and the narrowest corresponded to the older generation. Now the falling birth-rate and the prolonging of lifespans, brought about by medical advances and comprehensive health care, are producing a different shape. Hence it is logical that developed countries, which generally have this distorted demographic pyramid, need incoming migrants to provide the manpower necessary for the functioning of society and the economy.
Spain has recognised this, starting with the Ley de Extranjería initiated in the year 2000, and updated since. This law had the effect of ‘regularising’ many thousands of the Moroccan ‘ilegales’ working in the plastic greenhouses of southern Spain which feed the supermarket shelves of northern Europe. This pragmatic decision, making the most of a difficult situation, is an excellent example of the attitude: “es lo que hay”… “this is what there is, (but we have to get on with it)”. This, of course, is what we see in the unanimous decision of the people of Villamalea. Instead of complaining about incoming migrants, they are welcomed as an asset, and their contribution to the economy of the town is valued.
So, what about the UK? That’s for another article!
