Vox Demands the Decree Be Repealed Following 291 Petitions from Foreign Prisoners

The Ministry of the Interior has acknowledged that 291 foreign nationals in pretrial detention have requested to be included in the extraordinary regularization procedure established by Royal Decree 316/2026. The data, updated as of July 29 and published on the Transparency Portal, has reignited Vox’s offensive against what it views as a covert regularization program.

Vox has intensified its criticism and is demanding the immediate repeal of the regulation. It argues that accepting these applications turns pretrial detention into an administrative shortcut to establishing ties to the country and complicates deportations. And they’re not stopping there: in Congress, they’ve already announced that they’ll use these figures to pressure the government and bring the debate to the regional parliaments.

Looking at the map, Murcia leads with 46 applications; Madrid is right behind with 43; Castellón, 38; and Alicante, 34. By facility, the Murcia prison has received the most: 38 requests, followed by one in Castellón with 35. Córdoba and the Canary Islands each account for 23. However, the data includes inmates without a final conviction as well as those who have been sentenced in the first instance but are awaiting the outcome of an appeal.

That said, it is not known how many of these requests have been granted or denied. The Penitentiary Service does not provide this breakdown, nor does it break down the data by nationality or crime. It adds that the decision rests with other administrative bodies, not the prison administration. Vox, of course, sees this as an area ripe for scrutiny.

Instructions for informing inmates about this procedure began to be distributed in April. They include language support and the distribution of documentation. In May, the Zaragoza prison even put up informational posters. And keep in mind that the Unified Police Union has already warned that this could complicate future deportations of convicted prisoners.

If you have questions about how this process affects your situation, don’t let uncertainty linger. The official information is confusing, and deadlines can work against you.

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