The Spanish parliament has rejected a measure that would strip state subsidies from foreign-born minors who are detained for committing crimes.
The measure, proposed by the anti-immigration VOX party, would amend Article 274 of the General Law of Social Security to remove monetary support for underage law-breakers from migrant backgrounds.
The centre-right Partido Popular also supported the measure, but the plan was narrowly defeated by 178 votes against to 170 in favour.
VOX MP José María Figaredo warned of a “migratory invasion” and accused left-wing parties of encouraging mass immigration by failing to take a tough stance. He also pointed out how illegal immigration and the presence of migration centres negatively affects people in the poorest neighbourhoods in Spain.
However, leftist MPs lined up to denounce the measure, and the people proposing it, as “racist” and “xenophobic”. One MP, Vicenç Vidal of the left-wing regionalist Més per Mallorca, even claimed that VOX’s proposal “exudes hatred” and is “objectively racist, shameful, demagogic.”
The rejection of the measure comes despite Spain struggling to deal with an immigration crisis. Last month, the Civil Guard warned that the number of arrivals in the Canary Islands is on the verge of breaking the all-time record, and would soon likely pass 30,000 so far this year.
The North African exclave of Ceuta is also under considerable pressure from illegal arrivals. The central government’s representative in the city, Cristina Pérez, said that in a single day last month, 1,500 people tried to enter the city illegally. Of those arrivals, only about 150 or 200 would be able to be quickly deported back over the Moroccan border. She called the situation in the city “extreme.”
Juan Vivas, the regional president of Ceuta, has pleaded for help from Madrid and the rest of the country:
We need the support of the State, of the autonomous communities, and that is why I insist once again on this request for help and assistance from those who can and should provide it.
