Spain to grant residency, work permits to potentially 25,000 immigrants affected by Valencia floods

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Spanish government will grant one-year residency and work permits to potentially 25,000 foreigners affected by the catastrophic flash floods that hit the eastern part of the country last October.

The extraordinary measure, approved by the Spanish cabinet on Tuesday, is aimed at facilitating paperwork for those living irregularly in the dozens of towns affected by the floods, mainly in the region of Valencia.

It is part of the government's recovery and reconstruction plan after the Oct. 29 disaster that killed 227 people and destroyed countless homes and businesses. The news was first reported by Spanish daily El País and confirmed by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration to The Associated Press.

Chaos that ensued after flooding caused by torrential rains left many immigrants unable to abide by the requirements for living, studying and working in Spain legally, according to the ministry. Similarly, many employers have been unable to comply with the bureaucracy required to hire foreign workers.

The new one-year permits will be given due to the “unexpected exceptional circumstances,” but can be denied if there are concerns over public order, security or health, according to the ministry.

Additionally, foreigners who lost relatives in the floods will be given five-year residency.

While governments across Europe are taking tougher stances against migration, Spain has been swimming against the current and hailing migrant workers' contributions as a key factor in its economic growth and job creation last year.

Foreigners currently represent some 15,9% of the country's registered active population, though many more work in the underground economy, picking fruits, cleaning homes or caring for the elderly. Facing a declining birth rate, Spain's government has said it needs more migrants working legally and contributing to its social security and pensions.

While Spain has closed several partnerships with African countries to stop irregular migration to its territory, it is passing measures to legalize the status of immigrants already living in the country without permission. The majority of those fly into Spain legally from Latin America and overstay their visas.

Follow AP coverage of migration at: https://apnews.com/hub/migration

FILE - A man walks past stacked up cars after floods in Catarroja that left hundreds dead or missing in the Valencia region in Spain, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz, file)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)