Spain’s People’s Party continues to hinge its election campaigning on the subject of immigration, at a time when the migrant crisis in Ceuta is very much still the subject of public debate.
On Sunday, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo spoke during a party event in the town of Badalona (Barcelona), in which he criticised the handling of immigration and citizenship policies of Pedro Sánchez’s ruling Socialist Party.
"We are going to bring about a democratic break with Spain's decline," Feijóo promised.
"A total cleansing," he added, because "more than ever, Spain is at an existential crossroads."
READ ALSO: What a PP-Vox government would mean for foreigners in Spain
When speaking of immigration, the leader of the opposition called for an "orderly" immigration policy, one that is open "to those who want to come to work" but "completely closed" to those who "come to break the law" or who live off benefits.
"You can’t come to a country to live off others. You can’t, and we won’t allow it," Feijóo said, claiming that it is "nonsensical" that "it’s easier to enter illegally than with a work contract."
Feijóo went on to speak of "restoring the prestige" of the Spanish passport, saying that if he comes to power he will review how nationality is granted, how it is maintained, and "how it can be lost."
Last week, Feijóo proposed a law that would revoke the Spanish citizenship of naturalised foreigners who commit serious crimes in the country.
He described it as "making no sense that a country can sustain its services if people arrive without control and give away citizenship to millions of people."
READ ALSO: Which benefits will Spain's 'regularised' migrants receive?
The PP leader was referring to the Socialists' more lenient migration policies and the Grandchildren's Law, which grants citizenship to the descendants of Spaniards who left Spain during the Spanish Civil War and Franco dictatorship.
According to government figures, around 2.4 million people have applied for Spanish citizenship via this route, most of whom are Latin American.
READ ALSO: Spain cuts voting rights of foreigners naturalised via Grandchildren's Law
Furthermore, many of the almost 500,000 to 1 million+ migrants who will obtain residency as a result of this year's mass amnesty in Spain are from Ibero-American nations, meaning they will be able to apply for Spanish citizenship in two years.
The leader of the opposition insisted that "a country with self-esteem is demanding, both of those born here and those who come to live here."
In the same vein, the Galician politician stressed that nationality entails both rights and duties: "Those who come to break the law should know that Spain will be completely closed off."
"If anyone is bothered by the fact that we are withdrawing the nationality of someone convicted of belonging to a criminal gang, a murderer, or a repeat sex offender, let them explain it to us," said Feijóo, who believes it is "fair" and "reasonable" to review the criteria for granting and revoking passports.
Feijóo’s speech on Sunday further consolidates his party’s intention to appear tougher on immigration as a way of both gaining and maintaining right-wing voters.
The PP has toughened this rhetoric for over a year, following polling in 2025 which showed that the centre-right party was losing support to far-right Vox.
As a result, it proposed a raft new laws that it said it would bring into effect if it gains power, from introducing a points-based visa system to making it impossible for overstayers to get residency.
READ MORE: The 10 migration laws that will impact foreigners if Spain's PP reaches power
More recently, polls showed that a right-wing bloc made up of Vox and the PP would obtain an absolute majority for the first time in three years.
On Sunday, Feijóo expressed his solidarity with Santiago Abascal after an attempted attack on the Vox leader during a political meeting in Tarragona, saying he was only trying to "defend his ideas".
Feijóo will visit Ceuta on Monday as the migrant crisis rages on in the Spanish territory.
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