Speaking at a party rally in Badalona on 20 September, Partido Popular chief Alberto Núñez Feijóo promised to “close Spain with lock and key” to anyone entering irregularly and to overhaul how nationality is granted or withdrawn. The speech positions migration as the PP’s flagship issue ahead of next spring’s regional elections and directly targets Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s extraordinary regularisation plan. Feijóo reiterated proposals to strip Spanish citizenship from serious criminal offenders and to fast-track deportations of migrants who commit crimes—a stance likely to spark legal challenges under EU freedom-of-movement rules. He also lambasted government efforts to relocate unaccompanied minors from Ceuta to mainland provinces, accusing Sánchez of turning the North African enclave into a “chronic crisis”. While the comments carry no immediate legislative force, they underscore growing political polarisation over immigration in Spain. For multinational HR teams, a future PP-led government could mean stricter eligibility checks for work and residence permits and a more robust compliance environment reminiscent of pre-2018 policies. Employers should track the party’s draft immigration white paper, expected before year-end.
Source: El País
