Del Arco, Premio Nacional de Historia, sobre la Ley de Nietos:"Nunca podrán demostrar que salieron de España por hambre"

Miguel Ángel del Arco Blanco, recipient of the 2026 Spanish National History Award, has publicly challenged the historical narrative surrounding the motivations of Spanish emigrants during the Civil War and the subsequent postwar period. In his assessment of the current 'Ley de Nietos' (Grandchildren Law), Del Arco asserted that those who emigrated during these eras will be unable to prove that their departure was strictly driven by hunger or economic necessity.

The statement addresses the complexities of historical documentation and the criteria often associated with the legal framework of the Grandchildren Law, which facilitates citizenship for descendants of Spanish exiles. By questioning the evidentiary basis for claims of economic migration during this period, the historian highlights the challenges of reconciling personal family narratives with the broader, often ambiguous, historical record of the mid-20th century.