Spain’s socialist government has, in defiance of the Council of State’s objections, the will of its people, and any modicum of better judgment, proceeded with its plan to grant amnesty to what may be as many as 1.2 million migrants. Amid the clamoring over the supposed “demise of Spain,” it’s worth seeing if we cannot excavate the rubble for lessons: What went wrong and what might set things right?

Spain’s Proceso de Regularización Extraordinaria was indeed “extraordinaria” from its inception. Its terms were deplorably lenient: Five months and a clean record earned any undocumented migrant a renewable work permit — never mind formalities like having a job lined up for said “work permit” or any employment history. For the great majority of applicants, it also puts full citizenship within reach after as little as two years of legal residence.