On April 4, renowned host Nacho Abad of Spain’s Cuatro television channel delivered a series of criticisms regarding the immigration amnesty being promoted by the Sánchez government on his show ‘En boca de todos’. He explicitly stated his support for the European Union’s position on the matter and expressed deep concern over Spain’s unilateral actions.
The EU’s Stance and Spain’s Responsibility
Abad began by explaining his understanding of the EU’s position. He pointed out that if Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez decides to implement a large-scale immigrant regularization, the EU’s potential stance would be that these newly regularized immigrants would be considered solely Spain’s responsibility.
“This means that once these immigrants obtain legal residency in Spain and can use our healthcare and education services… that’s our problem,” Abad analyzed. “But Europe will not allow these immigrants, who have been regularized in Spain, to move to other European countries to live and work.”
He emphasized that this means Spain would have to independently bear all the resulting pressure on its public services, even though these systems are already stretched thin.
Concerns Over Public Safety and Social Order
Abad further warned that this lenient regularization policy could pose a threat to national security. He believes the move might attract criminals and gangs engaged in illicit activities in other parts of Europe to come to Spain to seek legal status.
He stated: “Those criminals and criminal gangs who come to Spain from other parts of Europe because Spain is about to implement a more lenient regularization policy will have to stay in Spain.” He used highly controversial language, claiming that Spain’s action is tantamount to “embracing petty thieves, rapists, and even jihadist terrorists who have not yet been convicted,” arguing that a large-scale, low-threshold regularization would make it difficult to vet applicants’ backgrounds, creating significant hidden dangers.
Criticizing a Policy at Odds with the European Mainstream
In Abad’s view, the Spanish government’s immigration policy runs counter to the current mainstream trend in Europe. He pointed out: “On one hand, Europe is passing decrees to establish detention centers for irregular immigrants outside its borders and is clearly stating that, for its own survival, it cannot accept more people. On the other hand, Spain is doing the exact opposite.”
He directed his criticism squarely at Prime Minister Sánchez, accusing him of ignoring the stance of the EU and its allies on multiple issues. Abad cited recent geopolitical events as an example, noting that the Sánchez government’s refusal to allow relevant military aircraft to use Spanish airspace and bases in a matter related to Iran demonstrates its maverick foreign policy stance.
Finally, Abad also satirized the current political discourse, stating that any criticism of Prime Minister Sánchez is likely to be labeled as ‘fascist,’ and lamented that ‘this world is full of hypocrisy.’
