Sánchez says immigrants contribute to "progress" and Feijóo wants to deport those who commit crimes.

BarcelonaIn a week marked by riots and racist attacks in Torre Pacheco, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez defended immigration this Wednesday: "It contributes to progress." Thus, he called for the "collaboration" of migrant-sending countries like Mauritania, where he is on an official visit, as it allows for "safe, regular, and orderly" migration. In an institutional statement without questions, the Spanish president asserted that the "progress and good economic situation" of the state "owe much to the contribution of immigration" and asked that we not forget that Spain was "a country of emigrants."

Sánchez also expressed his desire to "continue deepening ties" with Mauritania and "extend them to many other areas." After assuring that the EU "understands the vital role" of the country in the Sahel, Sánchez said that "Spain will continue working" to ensure that its relationship with Europe "satisfactorily responds to Mauritania's demands."

Feijóo talks about deportations

Also this Wednesday, and specifically on the issue of immigration, the president of the People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, defended the expulsion from the State of any immigrant in an irregular administrative situation who has committed a crime: "An irregular immigrant who commits a crime in Spain must be deported immediately," he said.

At an event at the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid, the leader of the PP advocated for "applying the laws" and "distinguishing between regular immigration and irregular immigration." Feijóo stated that Spain needs "regular immigration that integrates into Spanish culture, that accepts the Constitution and the legal system and complies with them." He also backed the thesis promoted by the far right about a supposed "irregular immigration" that comes to "live off social policies."

The presentation goes further

The Popular Party (PP) already included their position on deportation in the party's political report, approved less than two weeks ago. The text speaks of "immediately repatriating illegal immigrants and those who commit crimes." In other words, it goes beyond Feijóo's words: it not only intends to expel irregular immigrants who have committed crimes, but also those who have not. The PP also states that it will have "zero tolerance for those who commit crimes, especially repeat offenders, and for those who do not want to integrate and respect our culture, particularly the role of women in society."

In fact, Feijóo's party includes these premises in a section titled "Freedom and Security," once again linking immigration with crime. However, official data indicates that, while the number of foreign-born people in Spain has increased in recent years, the crime rate is currently on the lower side of the historical record, with 40.6 crimes per thousand inhabitants during the first quarter of 2025, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

Feijóo's party approved this position just days before Vox suggested it was advocating the deportation of 8 million immigrants. The leader of the far-right party, Santiago Abascal, came out to qualify the words of MP Rocío de Meer and asserted that his party's proposal involves expelling illegal immigrants and all those who "have come to commit crimes," "attempt to impose a strange religion," "mistreat or despise," and "all" unaccompanied immigrant minors, because "they should be with their parents."