Vox warned yesterday that it might block the transfer of migrants who are in irregular situations from the Canary Islands to the autonomous regions where it governs in coalition with the PP, such as the Valencian Community. The government aims to regulate these reassignments through a modification to the Aliens Act that is already under negotiation with the territories. This move is something Vox, led by Santiago Abascal, hopes to derail with this bold stand, even though migration powers are held by the state.
From the Valencian Executive, there was no comment on Vox’s challenge, neither from the Department of Social Services under Deputy Prime Minister Susana Camarero (PP) nor from the first vice president, Vicente Barrera (Vox). The opposition from Vox allies remained simple: the government is responsible for managing migrants. They noted that only minors fall under the guardianship of the Generalitat.
The new Vox spokesperson, Jose Antonio Fuster, who took over yesterday in place of Ignacio Garriga, a potential Catalonia election candidate, attacked the reform. He said the party aims to export a portion or much of the illegal immigration to other autonomous regions. Instead, he argued that anyone who enters illegally should be expelled immediately. Fuster warned against what he called false benevolence and said he would convey this to the PP in the regions they govern together (Aragon, Castile and León, Extremadura, Murcia, and the Valencian Council). He expressed confidence that an optimal agreement would be reached with their partners.
Barrera’s stance on the plan remains uncertain. The Generalitat has not confirmed or denied whether Vox’s leadership message has been transmitted. It is clear, however, that the party is preparing a territorial push on migration, one of its central themes, to pressure the PP ahead of a new electoral cycle. Last week, Aragón’s first vice president Alejandro Nolasco already urged halting the grant of Spanish nationality to people from Islamic-majority countries while publicly discarding a Ramadan pamphlet.
Barrera himself has echoed similar messages on his social networks. Most recently, he amplified a Vox message from the Basque Country that speaks of an “invasion” of migrants and criticizes that they do not integrate, do not respect our culture, nor seek work. A few days earlier, from his Generalitat office, another video tied 13 murders in the Valencian Community in February to the arrival of migrants.
Age screening at the source
Vox’s rhetoric coincided with the second Sectoral Conference on Immigration of the current legislature, held yesterday between the Government and the autonomous communities. The Generalitat told Moncloa that it favors conducting screening to separate adults from minors at the origin rather than after they have been relocated. The Valencian government also pressed for increased state funding to cover these services.
Age is a key factor in the admission process. First, because immigration powers are national, except for minors, who transfer to the jurisdiction of the autonomous community in question. Second, because it entails a very different legal treatment: while an adult is typically provided housing for about six months, minors automatically come under autonomous guardianship, which includes housing and essential guarantees such as access to education and having the proper papers when they turn 18.
The Generalitat warned of this issue late last year, during the surge of migrant arrivals to the Canaries, when concerns arose about the possible presence of minors after they had been relocated to the Valencian Community.