War between the People's Party and Vox over Hispanic immigration

BarcelonaAmid the struggle with Vox, immigration has become a key issue in the PP's discourse. But it has ignited a new war on the Spanish right, now over Hispanic-American immigration. While the far right is soaring in all the polls and the Popular Party remains stagnant and loses ground ahead of the 2023 elections, Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party has chosen to toughen its immigration discourse and categorize migrants by differentiating between people of Hispanic origin and the rest. In fact, Madrid's president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, paved the way for Latin America with a controversial statement: "Hispanic immigration is not immigration"Feijóo followed in their footsteps this Thursday from Barcelona at a European PP event in front of around thirty international representatives of its member parties in the EU. "We share a world vision," he said, just after being infected by "order." A position that has clashed directly with Vox, which makes it clear that in Spain "there is no room for anyone else," and sources within the party maintain that it is a "mistake" by the PP, influenced by Ayuso's needs.

Specifically, Feijóo boasted about Spain in front of other countries. "You do not have the possibility of receiving culturally similar immigration, as we do with Latin Americans, with whom we share language, values, traditions, culture, customs, and world vision," he said. Later, he reiterated that Spain and the countries of Latin America are "brothers" and established the State as the defender "of the cause of freedom" in many of these places of origin, such as Venezuela. An approach that, together with the PP's points-based visa system, which prioritizes this cultural proximity, demonstrates the party's total commitment to Latin American immigration over the rest.

But the PP's inclination in favor of Latin American immigration has allowed Vox to establish a profile. The far-right party's secretary general, Ignacio Garriga, stated in an interview on RTVE that "these are the PP's games, not to say that no one can enter Spain until we kick out a lot of people." Not only has he argued that a Latin American "is obviously an immigrant," unlike Ayuso, but he also sought to differentiate himself from the Popular Party (PP) with the message that in Spain "there's no room for anyone else." Sources from the far-right party assure ARA that the PP is opting for this strategy with Latin America "to avoid appearing so tough" and because Ayuso has "a substantial Latin American presence in Madrid," also "with a lot of capital." Vox disagrees with the narrative that immigrants are needed or that they should be prioritized based on origin because, in their opinion, an expulsion operation is necessary, while pointing out the supposed burdens newcomers face due to their low incomes.

At the European People's Party summit, the Galician leader placed immigration as the "first challenge" and said that "Europe has woken up": "It has emerged from the ideological prison of a left that believed it was better to impoverish us," he emphasized. The Popular Party member defended "migration policies that guarantee order, security, and freedom," without "open doors" or "criminalizing anyone." However, putting an end to the "irregularity" that the Spanish government believes it defends as "the first gateway." He also said that Pedro Sánchez's government wants "more" undocumented foreigners. "No to irregular immigration," he went so far as to demand. To counter the PP's offensive, the Vox leadership, according to this newspaper, has given an internal order to "take to the streets, hit the neighborhoods" and for citizens to perceive the party as the solution, while questioning the PP's credibility by positioning itself as an "alternative to the two-party system."

Borders and defense

In one in crescendo, Feijóo commented that "more resources and a reinforced presence of Frontex" are needed to better monitor the continent's southern borders, "combat the mafias," and facilitate "effective returns." He only spoke about integration "through a job," after reviewing that in the last four years "another 1.5 million immigrants have arrived in the country" and that one in five citizens was born abroad. According to his diagnosis, "poorly managed immigration is a source of conflict, division, and precariousness." Before Feijóo, he had already warned the Secretary General of the European People's Party (PP) and MEP Dolors Montserrat about the issue. "The migration challenge worries us," he said, just before citing "combating populism and extremism" as a priority.

On the other hand, Feijóo defended an increase in spending on security and defense policies. "We are obliged to invest more in our security and defense for national reasons and to strengthen the European pillar of NATO," Feijóo said, and, shielding himself from this, criticized Sánchez for "complicating the spending targets." He then mentioned that the PSOE is allied with "pro-Russian and anti-Atlanticist" parties and reviewed a series of problems in "domestic politics," which he considered "marked by corruption" and multiple "scandals." With this comparison, he lamented "the progressive international isolation" that he believes the Spanish president is experiencing.