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Local Spain
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Why Spain needs millions more migrants, not less
The leader of Spain's far-right party Vox, Santiago Abascal, last week downplayed reports that the party intends to deport 8 million foreigners, including second-generation migrants born in Spain. This followed controversial comments from party spokesperson Rocío de Meer's comments that Vox wants to deport "8 million people". Faced with a growing media frenzy in the left-leaning Spanish press, Abascal shrugged off de Meer's claims and distanced his party from the idea of 'mass re-emigration' because in his words they 'simply don't know' how many migrants there actually are in Spain. Figures from Spain's National Statistics Institute show that there are currently 6.9 million foreigners residing in Spain, less than the 8 million named by De Meer, but a closer look at her words and the party's nativist rhetoric clarify that she was also probably counting foreigners who've acquired Spanish citizenship, as hardline elements within Vox doesn't consider them to be truly Spanish. The debacle has sparked widespread debate about immigration, especially in the future, and the evidence suggests that Spain actually needs more immigrants, not less, according to a whole host of international organisations, banks and financial publications. Just last week, the OECD laid bare Spain's need for more migration in the future. The organisation recommended that Spain increase regular immigration and reactivate older workers in the labour market to ensure economic growth in the face of the expected population decline and demographic ageing. The OECD report highlighted that Spain, like many member countries, will be affected by a 'sharp decline' in the working-age population in the coming decades and needs migrant labour to reinforce the economy. Forecasts suggest that Spain will experience 'the largest decline' in the employment rate relative to the population among OECD countries, with a drop of 10.3 percentage points by 2060, compared to an average of 2 percent for the OECD as a whole. This decline, due to the combination of Spain's low fertility rate and high (and rising) life expectancy, will mean that the number of elderly people per person of working age will rise from 0.34 in 2023 to 0.75 in 2060. The Spanish pension system has long been a concern in Spain. A study by the Bank of Spain last year estimated that the country will need up to 25 million more immigrant workers by 2053 in order to combat demographic ageing and maintain the ratio of workers to pensioners in order to support the pension system. Without an influx of further foreign workers or sudden increase in the birth rate in Spain, something that seems very unlikely, experts fear that the growing disparity between working age people and pensioners could put the public pensions system in danger in the medium to long-term. Migrant workforce Contrary to right-wing rhetoric that suggests some immigrants don't work and rely on welfare, experts say migrants in Spain work especially hard. 'One of the positive effects of migration flows is that they bring workers with very high activity rates, clearly above other countries in our region,' José Luis Escrivá, governor of the Bank of Spain, said recently at a conference on migrant workers and their role in the Spanish economy. This activity rate — that is, foreign workers who are employed or looking for work — reached 78 percent in 2024 in Spain compared to 74.4 percent in Germany, 70.7 percent in France and 71.1 percent in Italy, according to Eurostat data cited by Escrivá. Immigration has contributed 84 percent of the growth of the Spanish population since 2022. With an increase of 1.5 million in the last two years, of which only 300,000 were Spanish nationals and 1.2 million were foreigners, the majority have joined the labour market, contributing 'to expanding the supply [of workers], alleviating labour shortages and boosting economic growth' according to a report by the European Central Bank (ECB), released in May. Spain without immigrants Though Vox's proposal was absurd and a near impossibility administratively-speaking, as a thought experiment Spanish daily El Diario has envisaged the sort of country Spain would be without its migrant workforce. In a long article headlined ' The consequences of deporting millions of immigrants, according to Vox: broken lives and damage to economic growth and pensions ' the right-leaning paper analyses how Vox's mass re-emigration plans would be a serious blow to key sectors of the Spanish economy that rely heavily on foreign workers, which would then have a knock-on effect on the wider economy. According to Social Security registration data from 2024, the sector in Spain that employs the most foreign workers is hospitality, with almost half a million workers, accounting for 27 percent of its workforce. Construction follows, with 20 percent of its workforce coming from abroad. According to the latest data from the INE's Labour Force Survey (EPA), which also includes working people in irregular immigration situations – and not only those registered in the social security – the proportion of foreign workers in construction is even higher than that figure in reality, at almost 25 percent. In agriculture, foreign workers officially account for 25.5 percent, according to the EPA, though it is a sector in which there are many cases of informal work and undocumented migrants.
Ya Biladi
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Spain : The Association of Moroccan Workers criticizes Vox's anti-migrant rhetoric
The Association of Moroccan Workers and Immigrants in Spain (ATIM) has denounced what it calls «hypocritical demagoguery» in response to recent comments by the far-right party Vox regarding the mass expulsion of migrants. In a statement sent to Yabiladi on Friday, the NGO strongly rejected remarks made by Vox spokesperson Rocío de Meer. For several days, the political figure has faced backlash over her xenophobic and ambiguous comments. Speaking at a press conference at Vox's headquarters, she appeared to endorse a version of the «Great Replacement» theory in Spain. De Meer spoke of expelling eight million immigrants and their children in order to «survive as a people». Since then, Vox has scrambled to contain the fallout, even going as far as blaming the Spanish press for misrepresenting her words. Against this backdrop, ATIM emphasized the public and solemn nature of its response, accusing the party of «seeking media attention, stoking controversy, and provoking outrage—even violence». The NGO added that Vox «fails to consider the consequences» of its rhetoric, «blinded by its obsession with publicity and its strategy of cultivating rejection through stigmatization». «They are exploiting the frustration generated by a failing neoliberal system, manufacturing an enemy—even a fictitious one—and scapegoating migrants to deflect responsibility for this failure», ATIM continued. In equally forceful terms, the NGO pointed to the «ignorance» displayed by Vox members. «If they had any sense of history, they would recognize the disastrous consequences of the expulsion of the Moriscos between 1609 and 1613. The economic damage today would be just as severe», ATIM warned. «Our association rises today to oppose your empty, incoherent, and deceptive discourse, lacking substance and utterly incapable of proposing any real economic or social alternatives for the future», the statement continued. «Your outbursts, your racist slogans, your xenophobia, your sexism, your intolerance—they serve no purpose. Your fascist ambitions to eliminate everyone who is different from you or who disagrees with you are equally futile», it added.
Local Spain
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Vox backtracks on deporting 8 million but lists foreigners to expel from Spain
Vox head Santiago Abascal has shrugged off the words of party spokesperson Rocío de Meer who on Monday said the far-right group wants to deport "8 million people" because in his words they 'simply don't know' how many migrants there actually are in Spain. Figures from Spain's National Statistics Institute show that there are currently 6.9 million foreigners residing in Spain, less than the 8 million named by De Meer, but a closer look at her words and the party's nativist rhetoric clarify that she was also probably counting foreigners who've acquired Spanish citizenship, as Vox doesn't consider them to be truly Spanish. In fact, one of their new official policies is an audit of the Spanish citizenship acquisition of naturalised foreigners. Abascal has referred to what's been published in the Spanish press as "lies", even though only a week ago Vox officially included in its party manifesto the 'mass deportation' of migrants, on this occasion focusing just on previously undocumented migrants who'd acquired Spanish residency (around one million people). The face of far-right politics in Spain then clarified that Vox intends to expel all foreigners who have come "to commit crimes" or "to live off the efforts of others," or who seek to impose a "strange" religion on Catholic Spain, or who "mistreat or belittle women," as well as all unaccompanied minors as "they must be with their parents." "We don't know how many there are. We'll know when we come to power. And they'll all leave," Abascal, a self-declared fan of Donald Trump and close ally of France's Marine Le Pen and Hungary's Viktor Orban, went on to say. Rocío de Meer, whose words have been overwhelmingly ridiculed in Spain, has since sent out a video on social media in which she said "LIES! I haven't said we had to expel 8 million. We have to expel however many necessary so that not one single more Spanish family has to cry over the fact that we didn't". During her speech on Monday, she stated "we're witnessing how millions and millions of people have arrived since the 1990s spurred on by the two-party system. Of the 47 million people our country has, 7 million - more than 7 million because we have to factor in the second generation - 8 million people of different origins who have arrived in a short period of time which makes it very hard for them to adapt to our habits and customs." She then went on to say: "Therefore all these millions of people who've come to our country in a short period of time and haven't adapted to our customs and in many cases have been at the centre of scenes of insecurity in our neighbourhoods and surroundings will have to return to their countries." Another Vox spokesperson, Pepa Millán, has also defended De Meer's words by claiming they were "an approximate estimate" of the number of immigrants in Spain since the 1990s. Nevertheless, she did stand firm on Vox's proposal to deport all illegal immigrants, all immigrants who commit crimes, and all those who do not "integrate". "We want to remain Spain," she concluded. One more Vox spokesperson, José Antonio Fúster, also spoke out on the matter, stating that illegal immigrants or those who commit crimes will be expelled. "We don't hate anyone; what we have is an immense love for the Spanish people. We must be able to choose who lives with us," Fúster said. Vox's hyperbolic promises will no doubt have been welcomed by Spain's scandal-hit ruling Socialists, who know that the mass deportation claims will alienate many voters in the centre who could be considering voting for the Popular Party but fear a possible alliance with Vox. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez published on X a message which read "Spain was for decades a land of departure, of effort beyond our borders. Today it is a land that welcomes others, and those who arrive contribute their efforts to building a better Spain. Let's not forget where we come from in order to understand who we are." Spain's Socialist Education Minister Pilar Alegría has also said migrants who have come to Spain to work in search of a better future should "not to be afraid" of "Vox's xenophobic delirium", stating that "what Vox is proposing is not going to happen." Alegría said that their interest in carrying out mass deportations reflects "what they are," a "racist" and "xenophobic" party, and that the opposition PP should not be willing to normalise and whitewash its "xenophobic delirium" in order to govern. As expected, the Popular Party has distanced itself from Vox's stance on immigration through its new secretary general Miguel Tellado, who stated that his centre-right party is "in favour of orderly immigration, against illegal immigration," but that Spain must be "a welcoming country" for all people who want to "develop their life plans in our country" and "needs immigration to be a viable social and economic project".
Telegraph
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Spanish Right-wing party vows to deport eight million people
Spain's far-Right party Vox has vowed to deport around eight million people if it wins the next election. This week, party leaders said they wanted to remove all people of foreign origin who have not adopted Spanish customs – a shift from their previous position of only deporting those in the country illegally. Rocío de Meer, Vox's spokeswoman for demographic emergency and social policies, said the policy would mean expelling 'millions of people who have recently come to our country and have not adapted to our customs'. More than seven million people could be eligible for what she called 're-emigration', Ms de Meer said on Monday. 'Of our country's 47 million inhabitants, roughly seven million – or more than seven million, because we have to take into account the second generation – eight million are people who have come from different origins in a very short period of time,' she said. 'It is therefore extraordinarily difficult for them to adapt to our ways and customs.' Vox is Spain's third-largest political force, having won 12 per cent of the vote in the 2023 general election. It has since been polling slightly higher. Meanwhile, the Left-wing minority government of Pedro Sánchez is teetering on the brink of collapse, unable to legislate and mired in allegations of corruption. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition conservative People's Party, said last weekend that he would discuss a political agreement with Vox if he did not win an outright majority, although he said he did not like coalition governments. At a party gathering last month Vox presented a policy document that included a proposal for 'mass deportations', with MP Carlos Hernández citing research suggesting that by 2045 'Spaniards will be a minority in our own country'. Foreigners currently make up 14 per cent of the Spanish population, with 9.4 million people who were born outside the country. Santiago Abascal, Vox's leader, said on Tuesday said that he was unsure how many people would be deported if the party came to power. 'We don't know how many – when we get into government, we will know,' he added. The Vox leader listed the kind of people he said should be deported, including 'all those who come here to commit crimes ... impose a foreign religion ... abuse or disrespect women [and] live off the efforts of others'.
