The Popular Party (PP) in Burgos has accepted the demand of their coalition partner in the municipal government, Vox, to eliminate funds allocated by the city council to associations dedicated to assisting and hosting migrants (except for the Catholic organization Caritas, whose funding is respected). The request from the far-right will be implemented, according to the council spokesperson, despite the disagreement of the Popular Party. This decision is contingent on the approval of the municipal budget by the far-right, who holds the mayoralty. The funds for migrant assistance managed by NGOs were €119,000 in 2024; in 2025, no funds will be allocated, although the remaining 30% from this year will be paid.
The council spokesperson, Andrea Ballesteros (PP), who is also the councilor for Social Services, has emphasized that her party does not support this measure, but has justified it as necessary to pass the municipal budget. Ballesteros stated that this decision was a request from Vox during budget negotiations, and the PP does not agree with it, acknowledging the important work carried out by these NGOs. The budget presented by the coalition government is not ideal for either the PP or Vox, according to Ballesteros, who also mentioned that such decisions occur in coalition governments. She assured that the budget is a result of negotiation, not coercion or threats.
The announcement of the measure by the two governing parties in Burgos (a city of 175,000 inhabitants) has sparked outrage from the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). The PSOE spokesperson and former mayor, Daniel de la Rosa, criticized the decision harshly on social media. De la Rosa accused the PP of not having shame and expressed that they could govern alone if they wanted, but choose to govern with Vox despite the consequences. He urged the PP to reconsider and negotiate the budget with the PSOE. The PP argues that even though fixed aid to NGOs is being cut, the city council still maintains funding for immigration management through a competitive grant of €50,000 that any association can apply for.
The budget cut proposed by the municipal corporation affects organizations like Burgos Acoge, Atalaya Multicultural, and Accem, which have received public funds for migrant support. This year, these organizations received €119,000 (with 30% pending for 2025) that will be entirely eliminated next year. The decision to maintain €19,000 for Caritas, a Catholic organization, for migrant support raised questions of discrimination against other NGOs, which the councilor of Social Services did not address and deferred to the Vox councilors. This is the second demand of this nature from the far-right since the PP and Vox began governing together in Burgos, with a previous attempt to investigate migrant residency and access to homes deemed as xenophobic and dismissed.
The demand to eliminate aid to NGOs for migrant assistance is part of a pattern of anti-immigrant policies advocated by Vox in the city of Burgos. The decision to cut funding for these organizations, despite the important work they do, is viewed as a concession to the far-right by the Popular Party in order to pass the municipal budget. The opposition PSOE has strongly criticized this move, urging the PP to reconsider their alliance with Vox and negotiate with them instead. The impact of this decision on migrant support services provided by NGOs is significant, as organizations face the loss of crucial funding that helps them carry out their mission of aiding and integrating migrants into the community.
