Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spain’s anti-mass migration VOX party, called on the remigration of all arrivals who entered the country just to sponge off social welfare.
Abascal emphasized VOX is “absolutely opposed to legitimizing illegal entry into Spain” during a Monday interview aired by the nation’s main public broadcaster, RTVE.
The party leader participated in La Revuelta (“The Revolt”), a talk show aired by RTVE and hosted by Spanish comedian and TV host David Broncano.
Over the past days, Broncano has called on Spanish politicians competing in the upcoming November 29 snap elections to participate in his show, with incumbent socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez participating in late October.
El Español noted that, unlike Sánchez and others interviewed by The Revolt these past weeks, the host had proposed that Abascal’s interview should be of a more “serious” tone and be a show “with less jokes.”
Throughout the interview, the Spanish public broadcaster RTVE detailed, Abascal presented an account of what he and VOX have defined as the greatest issues that Spain currently faces, such as uncontrolled mass migration and housing shortages, in addition to conversing on other topics.
Abascal presented the party’s proposals to tackle the pressing issues that plague the European nation — stressing that the priority for VOX is, first and foremost, Spaniards.
Before the interview properly started, however, Abascal gifted the host with a flag of Ceuta, and asked Broncano to keep it on display as a show of support of the exclave, which counties to suffer through the consequences of the ongoing mass migrant invasion of its territory.
Housing, Abascal stressed to Broncano is the main issue in Spain, and one that goes along with the equally critical subject of mass migration. Abascal accused the Spanish government led by Pedro Sánchez of being responsible for both, and for causing the significant rising costs of living in the country throughout the eight years of Sánchez’s administration.
“A 74 percent [increase] in housing sale costs in eight years, and a 40 percent increase in rental costs,” Abascal said. “This administration’s tax policies, immigration policies, and policies opposing housing construction and land-use deregulation are behind the rising cost of housing.”
Abascal explained that nearly six million people have entered Spain over the past five years, and pointed out that said people — whether they legally or illegally entered Spain — need a place to live, therefore placing an “immense pressure” on the Spanish housing market, where “only 400,000 homes” have been built in that same time period.
“And this applies to hospitals and public safety on the streets, because we have the same number of hospitals, police officers, and security guards, and the same number of homes, but with nearly six million more people,” Abascal said. “I believe that is the main problem caused by what I’m describing, housing.”
On migration, the show’s cost told Abascal that he believes the matter should be able to be addressed without any mention of it being treated as “xenophobic” or “racist,” something that, Broncano affirmed, happens a lot around Spanish left wing circles.
Abascal emphasized that VOX has been very concrete when it comes to migration and that the party seeks to fight mass illegal migration to defend the interests of the Spanish people first and foremost, followed by the interests of migrants who have legally moved to Spain and are contributing to the country and respecting its way of life. Abascal said that there are those among the legal migrants who have defended VOX’s policies when it comes to migration.
“What is our message? We believe that a country should be able to immediately deport anyone who enters the country illegally,” Abascal said. “We cannot send the message to the world that anyone who enters Spain gets to stay in Spain and, on top of that, ends up receiving social benefits, obtaining legal status, and becoming a citizen.”
The first position, Abascal detailed, is the repatriation of all illegal migrants, followed by a second position, the deportation of all delinquent migrants — regardless of whether they’re “legal” or not.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal at a pre-election campaign event for the general election, held at the Pedro Diaz Auditorium on 7 November 2026 in Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. (Rafael Martin/Europa Press via Getty Images)
“I don’t think we should have foreign criminals in Spain. We already have enough trouble with our own domestic criminals, and there are plenty of those,” he stressed, and added that “political will” and the enforcement of already-existing legislation is required to carry the deportations.
Should a country refuse to accept back their migrants, Abascal emphasized, then diplomatic and economic measures must be taken. Using the case of Morocco and the invasion of Ceuta as an example, Abascal said that if Morocco does not accept the return of unnaconmained minors, then Moroccan products should be barred from entry in Spain, and Spains should not jointly host a FIFA World Cup tournament with Morocco, as it is currently tentatively planned.
“Third position, remigration,” Abascal stressed, and argued that young Spaniards who left their country because they could not find opportunities and a future at home should be able to return. Abascal also condemned the left’s claims that migrants will “come pay our pensions” as a “slaver’s” discourse.
“The problem is that a very high percentage of non-EU immigrants of working age— around 50 percent— are not working,” Abascal said. “These are immigrants who are not working and are receiving social assistance.”
During the interview, Abascal fiercely condemned Prime Minister Sánchez as a “dictator” and affirmed that he will not backtrack on those comments.
“Yes, he is. A tyrant in the making, the only thing holding him back are the institutions,” Abascal said.
