The Spanish political party VOX has launched a national campaign demanding a referendum on immigration policy, citing a series of violent incidents involving foreign nationals as evidence of what it calls a “failed and suicidal” immigration model imposed by Spain’s main parties.
Party leader Santiago Abascal declared, “Let them ask in the neighborhoods, in the towns, and in the nation if they want illegal immigrants in Spain,” as he called for Spaniards to sign a petition for a direct vote on mass deportations and migration controls.
The campaign, promoted through the party’s website, calls on citizens to take a stand: “Enough of letting them decide for you. Do you want illegal immigrants, criminals, violent people, and fundamentalists in your neighborhoods?”
“If you want to live in peace in your neighborhood… If you don’t want your family to pay the consequences of illegal and maladjusted immigration… If you do not want to live in fear of those who want to impose their law… Sign here!” it adds.
The demand comes amid a string of high-profile violent incidents across Spain in just the past few days, fueling public anger and renewed scrutiny of immigration policy.
In Torre Pacheco, Murcia, several Spaniards — including a local police officer — were injured in a second consecutive night of riots reportedly sparked by North African immigrants. The unrest follows the brutal beating of an elderly man named Domingo, allegedly by an illegal Moroccan migrant, in what some witnesses described as part of a so-called “challenge.” Neighborhood protests erupted into violence involving stone-throwing, knives, and property damage.
In Benamargosa, Málaga, a kiosk owner filed a complaint after being threatened with a knife by a North African resident, following an earlier act of vandalism on the man’s vehicle. The suspect reportedly accused the kiosk owner of racism.
In Lérida, residents have called a demonstration on July 17 to protest growing sexual violence in public spaces. The protest follows the sexual assault of a 20-year-old woman by a Moroccan man at a public swimming pool in the Balàfia neighborhood. The assailant was arrested after reportedly resisting police.
In Madrid’s Montecarmelo district, a 27-year-old Colombian Amazon delivery driver was arrested and brought to court after allegedly sexually assaulting two young girls, aged four and eight, in an elevator during a delivery route.
These incidents, according to VOX, reflect a broader collapse of public safety and social cohesion caused by years of unchecked immigration. Abascal directly blamed Spain’s dominant political establishment — the Pedro Sánchez-led Socialist government and the center-right People’s Party opposition — for implementing Brussels-backed migration policies that he claims have led to “degradation in our neighborhoods, collapse in our social services, and fear on our streets.”
The link between mass immigration and rising crime is indisputable.
Government data reported in February revealed a dramatic rise in crimes involving foreign nationals. Between 2013 and 2023, homicides involving foreign suspects rose by 69 percent, compared to a 28 percent rise overall. In Catalonia, foreigners make up over 50 percent of the prison population, and 91 percent of those convicted of rape.
A recent Sigma Dos poll published in El Mundo found that 70 percent of Spaniards support VOX’s proposal to deport all illegal immigrants. The policy even garnered majority support among voters of the Socialist Party (57 percent), with backing reaching 92 percent among PP voters.
Despite growing public pressure, the Sánchez government continues its current migration approach. Data released earlier this month showed that the number of immigrants in Spain under family reunification permits has increased by more than 650 percent in five years — from 43,848 in March 2020 to 328,841 in March 2025.
