The delegation of immigration powers is doomed to failure

Barcelona / MadridPodemos will not budge and the transfer of immigration powers to Catalonia agreed between the PSOE and Junts is doomed to failure. The purple party reiterated its "absolute no" to the measure one day before the the consideration of the rule in Congress is voted on, that is, that the text can begin its parliamentary process. The spokesperson for the party, Pablo Fernández, has closed the door to a last-minute change of position, as demanded by Carles Puigdemont's party, and the four deputies of the purple party will not allow the initiative to take this first step: "We have clearly decided," he said in an interview with The ideas cafe, from La 2 and Radio 4. Fernández has argued that the transfer has "clearly and openly racist" motives and has attributed it to the "struggle" between the junts and the Catalan Alliance to see "who is more racist."

Fernández reiterated his refusal in a subsequent press conference in which he highlighted the tension that this issue has generated with Junts. The spokesperson for the purple party raised the tone against Puigdemont's party and reproached the secretary general of the Junts, Jordi Turull, for having accused Podemos two days ago of being "anti-Catalanist" and of having the same "Catalanophobia" as the PP and Vox. "For these people to come and call us Catalanophobes is absolutely unacceptable, shameful, and a complete piece of crap from Mr. Turull," said Fernández, who called the Junts leader a "character" who "should be ashamed of himself." Statements that further distance a hypothetical last-minute twist from the script.

The proposal, which requires Podemos's votes to move forward, envisions the Catalan government assuming executive powers currently carried out by the State, such as residence permits, both temporary and long-term, and the issuance of foreign identification numbers (NIE), and the presence of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police). Although it had been shelved for some time due to the lack of a sufficient majority, the lower house table brought it back to the table last week, and this Tuesday a first debate will take place, and a vote on its consideration will be held.

This setback for Junts comes just when The relationship between Puigdemont and the PSOE is not going through its best moment. due to the failure to comply with the main agreed-upon areas, such as the immigration transfer. From the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), spokesperson Montse Mínguez has emphasized that her party cannot be held responsible for the votes of other groups. "We will see how the vote goes and if it is necessary to recover any aspect [through another legislative formula], we will analyze it later," she stated, without giving any details. However, she stated that the PSOE "complies" with the signed agreements and "is wearing the shirt." Juntos met with the permanent party in Waterloo this Monday and has opted for silence, after a few days ago they invited Podemos to "dialogue" to narrow their positions. However, sources within the party do not hide the fact that if the delegation fails, this will worsen relations with the Socialists, whom they blame for the fact that the agreements signed, from the amnesty to the delegation of powers and the official status of Catalan in Europe, have not been fully implemented.

Differences on the left of the PSOE

Unlike Podemos, the Sumar leadership defends the delegation of powers, although there are internal doubts. Izquierda Unida and Compromís have not guaranteed their vote in favor for reasons similar to those of Podemos, although Sumar sources are confident that the parliamentary group's voting unity will not be broken. "As a plurinational group, we must understand decentralization better than anyone and that the problem of many matters, however sensitive they may be, has nothing to do with who holds the power," defended the second vice president of the Spanish government, Yolanda Díaz, in a speech before Sumar deputies. It should be remembered thatIn a recent interview in the ARA,At the end of July, the party's leader, Ione Belarra, argued that if the National Police and the Civil Guard already carry out "racist raids," the Mossos d'Esquadra, who have much "more presence in the territory," would do so with jurisdiction in Catalonia. Díaz recalled the condemnation of the State for the mass attack on the Melilla fence in June 2022, arguing that "there is no guarantee that public policy has to be better for it to be in state hands."

Podemos Catalonia endorses it

From Catalonia, the general coordinator of Podemos, Maria Pozuelo, also defended her party's vote against, although she maintained that they are a "Catalanist," "plurinational" party and that they are in favor of continuing to advance self-government. "But This bill is racist and we are not going to meet here," he warned in statements to the press, after meeting this Monday with representatives of Regularization Now and SOS Racism. In this sense, Pozuelo has asked Esquerra and the Comunes to reconsider their vote in favor. The Minister of Culture and spokesperson for Sumar, Ernest Urtasun (Comuns), competence "and only addresses issues of administrative management.