The PP, Vox, and Podemos reject the delegation of powers over immigration.

Madrid / BarcelonaThe transfer of immigration powers to Catalonia, agreed between the PSOE and Junts, was derailed this Tuesday in Congress by the veto of Podemos, which combined its votes with those of the PP and Vox to overturn it. The purple party's refusal to allow the law to take its first step in the lower house—what was voted on was its consideration, not its final approval—led to its failure after a debate in which accusations of "centralism" against Podemos to prevent Catalonia from expanding its self-government were mixed with "at the same time." The latter is Podemos's argument to defend the vote against its four deputies. Carles Puigdemont's party, meanwhile, attacked the purple party, accusing it of wanting to apply a "155" in Catalonia on immigration matters with "extreme Spain."

"Do you think the ERC members are also racist for wanting Catalonia to have immigration powers?" asked the spokesperson for the regional government, Míriam Nogueras, in her speech in Congress, urging the Podemos members to clarify whether they also think the same about the PNV and Sumar, in order to vote in favor of the law or against it. ERC itself—as have the Comunes, EH Bildu, and the BNG—has criticized Podemos for putting spokes in the wheels of a delegation of powers. The Republican spokesperson, Gabriel Rufián, has argued that the initiative does not grant powers to Puigdemont's party but only to Catalonia, and has warned the Podemos members that it is a "dangerous path" to close the door to the decentralization of the State based on who proposes it or who governs—when, moreover, in this case it is the PSC and not Junts.

However, the Republican has simultaneously agreed with Podemos in its accusation of "racism" against the members of the Catalan Parliament. "The first part of your speech is regrettable and, yes, it is racist," Rufián reproached Nogueras. The Junts spokesperson stated that "the survival of the [Catalan] identity is not guaranteed" by immigration, which "impacts the Catalan language," and warned that the Spanish government's "mismanagement" of the phenomenon has led to "collapse" and is leading to the "destruction of the welfare state in Catalonia." "On a scale of 0 to 10, how afraid are they of the Catalan Alliance?" Rufián asked. The Commons spokesperson, Aina Vidal, also blamed Junts' speech on "competition with the Alliance" and warned that it is a "mistake to imitate the original" due to a "panic attack" based on what the polls indicate.

On the same day, another initiative by Junts (Junts) was debated in Congress, once again sparking the same outrage among these groups. In a non-legislative proposal, the Junts members warn of "concern about possible fraud" in "applications for paternity benefits submitted by migrant workers, especially in sectors such as agriculture or construction" and propose tightening the requirements for accessing them. Vox is the only party that welcomed the initiative. "They're starting to recognize that we were right," said Juan José Aizcorbe, a member of the far-right party.

Mass regularization or the decree route

In the Juntos speech in Congress, Nogueras focused his criticism on Podemos and did not attack the PSOE, which opens the door to recovering part of the initiative via decree so as not to depend on the votes of the "lilac" party. For its part, Podemos pointed to another possible solution to the impasse reached this Tuesday. In his speech in the House of Representatives, MP Javier Sánchez Serna offered to sit down with Junts to discuss responsibilities if they accept a mass regularization of immigrants. This is not a new condition, and Podemos sources maintain that the problem is that Junts has "refused" to accept the Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) of the Regularization Now group, which proposes it. Another demonstration, in his opinion, of this "racism."

Add, divide

Podemos is not the only party to the left of the PSOE that has opposed the bill's consideration. Compromís MP Alberto Ibáñez and Chunta Aragonesista MP Jorge Pueyo, within Sumar, broke their unified vote for the same reasons. Despite the internal division, Yolanda Díaz's party's official position has been in favor, as they separate Junts's discourse on immigration from the content of the bill to delegate powers to Catalonia. Izquierda Unida left its voting intentions up in the air until the last moment, but ultimately opted for a "yes" vote.

Decisions in the fall?

Despite having avoided pointing the finger at them during the debate, the secretary general of the regional government, Jordi Turull, did state during a breakfast briefing on Tuesday morning that relations with the PSOE are currently in a state of "total mistrust," despite the recent meeting between former president Carles Puigdemont and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Turull singled out the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, whom he accused of not having lifted a finger to counter Podemos's rhetoric against them.

Beyond the immigration transfer, the party is calling on the PSOE to comply with the agreement for the official status of Catalan in Europe, but also to guarantee the full implementation of the amnesty and the return of exiles. now in the hands of the Constitutional Court. In this scenario, Turull has reiterated that this autumn Junts will make "decisions" on whether it is "worthwhile" to continue with the Spanish legislature, as already stated. Puigdemont did this summer, assessing what has and hasn't been fulfilled in Sánchez's 2023 investiture agreement. The negotiation of the general state budget will be the next step to test this relationship.

The mayors and Puigdemont

At the information breakfast organized by the Nova Economia Fòrum, Turull spoke alongside the mayor of Olot, Agustí Arbós, who dedicated part of the event's presentation to discussing the challenge of immigration. The secretary general took up the challenge, asserting that Junts is a party that listens to the region, and has therefore included issues such as the fight against multiple reoffending, occupations, and the control of electoral roll registrations on its agenda. He stated that they did so because these are the issues that concern the "angry" middle classes, and not to prevent a flight of votes to Alianza.

After, as ARA reported, Junts mayors questioned the party's direction and asked to meet with Puigdemont, Turull took advantage of Arbós' presence to reiterate the sympathy the administration maintains with municipal representatives. "We'll hold the meeting, and it's just another meeting," he argued.