Anti-Immigrant Sentiment Grows in Spain: Majority Support Deportations

Photo: El Mundo

A majority of Spaniards support tougher immigration laws, El Mundo reports, citing a Sigma Dos survey. According to the poll, 78% of citizens agree that foreign nationals convicted of crimes should be deported. Nearly 92% also believe that tackling illegal immigration should be a nationwide priority, not a task for individual regions.

In late July 2025, People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo proposed the immediate expulsion of all undocumented migrants who commit even a single crime. He also argued that the list of grounds for deportation should be expanded to include foreign nationals residing legally in Spain.

Previously, such rhetoric was largely associated with the far-right Vox party, but now it has gained broader backing. The survey revealed widespread approval across the political spectrum: 94% of People’s Party supporters and 86% of Vox voters expressed support. Surprisingly, the idea also resonated among left-leaning voters: 71% of Socialist Party sympathizers and 57% of Sumar coalition supporters agreed. Opposition came from just one-fifth of Socialist voters and one-third of Sumar’s electorate, highlighting how support for strict measures cuts across partisan lines.

The poll also reflected rare unity in assessing the issue. 91.4% of Spaniards said illegal migration should be addressed at the state level, while only 8.6% preferred regional responsibility.



Another focus was unaccompanied minors, whose numbers in the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla have tripled beyond local capacity. About 63.8% of respondents believe the burden should be shared across all autonomous communities, while 36.2% disagree. Among conservatives, the issue caused division: half of People’s Party supporters favor redistribution, while nearly as many oppose it. Within Vox’s electorate, over 74% reject transferring minors to other regions. On the left, however, support is overwhelming: 82% of Socialists and 92% of Sumar voters back redistribution.

Following appeals from local authorities, the government declared an “extraordinary migration situation” and enacted a protocol approved by the Council of Ministers on July 22. Around 3,000 minors are to be relocated nationwide within a year, enabled by new legislation passed in summer despite opposition from the People’s Party.



The emotional climate intensified after early July clashes in Torre Pacheco, Murcia. Reuters[/leech
] reported three nights of violent street confrontations between far-right groups and North African migrants, triggered by an attack on a 68-year-old man. Police used rubber bullets to disperse rioters throwing bottles and other objects. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska linked the violence to Vox’s anti-migrant rhetoric.

Spanish law already allows for deportations: undocumented migrants can be expelled administratively, while court rulings are required for criminal cases. For legal residents, Article 89 of the Penal Code permits replacing prison sentences longer than one year with expulsion. In practice, this mechanism is seldom applied due to enforcement challenges. In 2024, Spain expelled 3,031 foreigners, excluding immediate returns of those lacking documents. Legal experts believe proposed reforms could expand the list of deportable offenses and allocate more resources for enforcement.

Meanwhile, [leech=https://www.lasexta.com/noticias/nacional/migracion-crece-pero-delincuencia-asi-desmontan-datos-racismo-ultra-vox_20250716687790256e1ec26d312f5bdc.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com]laSexta, citing Interior Ministry data, reported that Spain’s foreign-born population grew from 4 million in 2005 to 7 million in 2025. However, crimes committed by migrants actually decreased by 10%, compared to a 2.8% drop among Spaniards. Crime rates fell from 49.4 to 40.6 incidents per 1,000 residents.

This contradicts far-right narratives linking immigration to rising crime. Notably, thefts fell 27.1% among migrants versus 9.4% among Spaniards. Sexual crime statistics also refute such claims: in 2023, fewer than 100 cases involved migrants, while Spaniards accounted for more than 400.

At the same time, hate crimes surged: overall hate-related offenses rose 21% in the past year, with racially motivated incidents up 41.8%. Such cases now make up half of all intolerance-related crimes. Analysts warn that racism and xenophobia, rather than migration, pose the real threat.