The Popular Party (PP) has come out in clear support of the mayor of Badalona, Xavier García-Albiol, after he made a controversial statement linking Maghreb immigrants to insecurity. The secretary general of the PP, Cuca Gamarra, stated that there are situations in Spain that everyone sees and thinks about, and some write about. This endorsement comes amidst a week marked by a meeting between President Pedro Sánchez and the president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, to address the crisis in the reception of unaccompanied migrant minors. A month earlier, the PP had voted against a reform of the immigration law to establish a mandatory protocol to transfer these minors to the Peninsula.
After García-Albiol’s comments on social media, other PP leaders had avoided discrediting him publicly. However, Gamarra unequivocally stated that the mayor’s message is shared by many within the party. This stance has drawn criticism from the central government, who accused the PP of having a migration policy similar to the far-right. The issue of immigration and insecurity has been embraced by politicians like Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who aligned himself with Vox’s rhetoric during the Catalonia and European elections. In a meeting at the PP headquarters, Feijóo emphasized the right of Spaniards to walk the streets safely, echoing the sentiment against the immigration reform.
The president of the Canary Islands has been pressuring the government and the PP to modify the law quickly, even considering a royal decree to bypass the opposition of the conservatives. He has claimed that regions like Galicia and Castilla y León, governed by the PP, have offered to receive more migrant minors than originally agreed upon. Despite these demands, Gamarra has reiterated the party’s resistance to changing the immigration law and has called for a President’s Conference to address the issue. The PP’s migration policy focuses on declaring a migration crisis, requesting more resources, strengthening border defense, and addressing the issue within the European framework.
In opposition to the government, the PP filed a non-binding motion in Congress focused on border control rather than the reception of unaccompanied migrant minors as requested by Canarias and Ceuta. Gamarra criticized the government for prioritizing power over border security. The PP’s strategy includes pushing for a stricter approach to migration, emphasizing defense of national borders to stem the influx of migrants. The debate on immigration and insecurity has sparked tensions within the party, but Gamarra remains firm in advocating for a comprehensive migration policy that addresses the root causes of the issue.
