The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, reiterated this Wednesday the beneficial effects of regular migration, but has considerably toughened his discourse on migration by describing the return to their countries of those who arrive in Spain illegally as “essential”. The president stated this in an appearance in Dakar, Senegal, the third stop on his official trip to Africa.
“This return sends a clear, strong and discouraging message to the mafias and those who put themselves in their hands, but essentially because European and Spanish legislation requires it,” said Sánchez at an event at the Instituto Cervantes in Dakar where the ‘Africa Advances Alliance’ initiative was launched to promote investments in Senegal, the last stage of the tour that has also taken him to Mauritania and Gambia.
It was in this speech that he referred for the first time publicly during the tour to the need for the return of people who arrive in Spain illegally. He did so after referring to the current migratory pressure and insisting on his defence of “regular and orderly” migration because he maintains that it opens paths to prosperity and economic and cultural development and is good for both the country of origin and the one that receives them.
In this regard, Sánchez highlighted the importance of circular migration, which Spain is promoting with several countries, including Senegal, and through which workers are hired in their country of origin to carry out seasonal work in Spanish territory and, at the end, they return to their country. Pedro Sánchez assured that security is a top priority and that is why he will continue to support Senegal in this area in general and in particular in relation to migration.
The President of the Government regretted that criminal networks that traffic in human beings “continue to grow and play with the lives of thousands of people” and are associated with other crimes such as “illegal trafficking and terrorism”. “To combat this threat”, said Sánchez, “it is essential to return those who arrive in Spain illegally”.
The PP blames Sánchez for the “evolution” of his position
The words of the Prime Minister in Senegal have been taken up by the Popular Party, which has warned of an “evolution” in the Government’s position on migration. Feijóo’s party criticises the fact that yesterday several ministers attacked PP leaders for talking about deportations and that Sánchez then defended “the need to expel those people who enter our country illegally”, they say.
The PP is asking for “an apology” from those who “questioned” their “moral stature” and “called them xenophobic”, they say, while trying to distance themselves from the position of the Government and that of Vox, without clarifying, in any case, what they are referring to. “We are neither with the irresponsibility in immigration matters of Pedro Sánchez’s Government, nor with the more intransigent position of other parties”, say the sources of the Popular Party, who criticise the “inaction of Pedro Sánchez” in the “migration crisis” that affects several autonomous communities, despite the fact that the PP itself refused a few weeks ago to approve the distribution of migrant minors between communities.
The mayor of Badalona, the ‘popular’ Xavier García Albiol, has also attacked Sánchez, considering that he is now saying “the opposite” of what he argued about migration a few days ago. Albiol directly linked migration and crime and put it in writing on Twitter a few days ago, something that was harshly criticised by the left-wing parties, who pointed out the xenophobia and racism of that tweet.
The parliamentary spokesman, Miguel Tellado, has also tried to whitewash his own statements by relying on those of Sánchez. Tellado mentioned yesterday in an interview on esRadio that Germany and Italy are talking about carrying out “mass deportations”, and insinuated that the same should be done in Spain, which earned him accusations of racism.
This Thursday, Tellado has assured that he did not say what he did say. “The one who has referred to mass deportations is the president of the Government, not the PP,” he assured in statements to the media in Donostia. But, immediately afterwards, he added: “What we have said is that Sánchez is going the opposite way to Europe. While Germany and Italy talk about mass deportations and go to countries of origin to stop immigration, Sánchez talks about massive regularisations and goes to those countries to encourage illegal departures.”
Tellado has accused Sánchez of talking about “deporting everyone”, words that the President of the Government has not uttered.
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