The rapprochement between the Government and the PP
This Sunday, the Minister of Territorial Policy, Àngel Víctor Torres, and the spokesperson for the Popular Group, Miguel Tellado, held a conversation that made it clear that the positions of the Popular Party and the Government are distant. Alberto Núñez, leader of the Popular Party, has stated that his formation cannot “facilitate the processing” of the reform of the Immigration Law that will be discussed this coming Tuesday in the Plenary Session of Congress. The Government’s refusal to accept the conditions proposed by the PP has led to this decision.
The reform in Congress
The Plenary Session of the Spanish Congress will be the scene of the debate to consider the bill to reform the Immigration Law, which was presented by the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, Sumar and the Canarian Coalition just five days ago. This initiative seeks to establish a mandatory distribution of unaccompanied minors in the event of a collapse in the Canary Islands, a situation that is currently being experienced.
Government expectations
The promoters of this reform trust that a simple abstention by the Popular Group will be enough for the law to begin its parliamentary process. However, the PP has recalled that, in its opinion, the clear position it has taken in relation to the support of this text should have been considered by the Government. They assure that the Government’s refusal has made any help on its part impossible, since they consider that the proposal is based on imposition rather than dialogue.
Conditions of the Popular Party
The Popular Party has presented a series of conditions to support the reform. Their proposals include declaring a migratory emergency for the entire Spanish territory, not only for the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla. In addition, they ask for an increase in financing for the affected autonomous communities, greater involvement of the Government in the management of minors and stricter border control. They also demand negotiations with Europe so that effective measures are taken and investments and agreements are made with the countries of origin of the migrants.
Specific demands of the PP
A key aspect for the Popular Party is that the distribution of minors at risk is mandatory for all autonomous communities, without exceptions, especially after the rejection of the Junts formation in Catalonia. In the documentation shared with Minister Torres, the PP emphasizes that this must be made explicit in the bill to prevent powers regarding immigration from being marginalized to any community in the future.
The minister’s impressions
Minister Àngel Víctor Torres, according to close sources, has indicated that he does not consider it feasible to accept the demands outlined by the Popular Party for the processing of the Immigration Law. Under this context, he has suggested to spokesperson Tellado that he work on improving the text during the amendment process, ensuring that he is certain that the procedure will be approved on Tuesday. This suggests that the Government is confident of obtaining the necessary votes, mainly from the Junts group.
A long term vision
From the Popular Party, it is emphasized that the issue of irregular immigration must be considered a “State problem” that requires the implementation of a “national migration plan.” According to Alfredo Feijóo, current president of the PP, the Spanish borders are the most permeable in the entire European Union, a situation that is evident in the current flow of immigrants.
Deep reform needed
The Popular Party maintains that if the will to develop a state policy on immigration really existed, a Conference of Presidents would have been convened to agree on a law that includes the autonomous communities, as well as the cooperation of the main opposition party. In this way, the political formation highlights that the approach must be a sustainable and lasting solution, not a response to a temporary problem, considering that this migration phenomenon will continue to be present in the coming years.
