Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is facing mounting criticism after unveiling plans to tighten regulation of major social media platforms just days after his government pushed through a mass regularization program expected to benefit around half a million illegal immigrants.
The announcement, made on Tuesday at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, saw Sánchez present what he called a package of measures to combat online disinformation, hate speech, and algorithmic amplification of “illegal” content. However, opponents argue the timing is no coincidence, accusing the government of attempting to curb public debate just as backlash grows over its migration policies.
The irony is that the socialist Spanish prime minister was speaking from a region that has no free speech, and does not offer a single democratic institution.
Under the government’s migration decree, migrants able to prove they were in Spain before Dec. 31, 2025, and remained in the country for at least five months, may obtain provisional residence and work permits, provided they do not have serious criminal records. Deportation procedures are suspended as soon as applications are filed, and successful applicants receive renewable one-year residence permits.
The move is expected to be a major pull factor for those seeking to come to Europe, and has already led to border pressure in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave on the African mainland.
The measure was pushed through by royal decree after similar proposals stalled in parliament for more than a year due to a lack of support, allowing the government to bypass a binding vote in Congress. Podemos, the far-left party that negotiated the agreement with Sánchez’s Socialists, estimates more than 500,000 people could benefit.
Spanish migration analyst Rubén Pulido called the decree “a direct attack on our security,” adding that hundreds of migrants have already gathered in recent days near border areas to attempt crossings, while authorities allegedly refuse to reinforce security forces so as not to admit the scale of the pull effect.
Mientras la gran mayoría de los medios mira hacia otro lado, la situación en los alrededores de #Ceuta sigue escalando a pasos agigantados. Cientos de inmigrantes ilegales se agolpan en #Belyounech y zonas adyacentes, organizando asaltos diarios a las vallas fronterizas. Medios… https://t.co/p3OfXGeh2u pic.twitter.com/dp46IaAe3p
— Rubén Pulido (@rubnpulido) February 3, 2026Against this backdrop, Sánchez announced new legislation aimed at regulating social media platforms. His proposals include banning social media access for those under 16, requiring age verification systems, introducing criminal liability for platform executives who fail to remove what he called “illegal” content, and criminalizing algorithm manipulation that amplifies unlawful material.
“We will have zero tolerance on these issues, and we will defend our digital sovereignty against any kind of foreign coercion,” Sánchez said, adding that his government would transform social media into “a healthy and democratic space, as it always should have been.”
🇪🇸‼️ "This is an injustice that is done to us on a daily basis. We don't have housing; the social housing that is built is built for them. Enough is enough!"
A resident of La Palma in Spain's Canary Islands doesn't hold back as she films dozens more illegal migrants arriving… pic.twitter.com/8i7xehbJOl
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) January 29, 2026The government also plans cooperation with prosecutors to investigate potential legal violations involving platforms, including Grok, TikTok, and Instagram, alongside the creation of a system to track what Sánchez described as a “Hate and Polarization Footprint.”
Spain’s right-wing Vox party accuses Sánchez of attempting to suppress criticism of his migration policies. Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, party leader Santiago Abascal said his movement faces “a total media blackout” and warned the government now seeks to persecute what it labels hate speech online after regularizing undocumented migrants.
“They not only want to condemn our people to a migratory invasion, but also to silence and persecution,” Abascal said, adding that “freedom and truth always prevail in the end.”
He further argued that freedom of expression is being undermined in Europe, saying, “The West and Europe cannot be understood without freedom of expression,” and warning that when demonization of opponents is no longer sufficient, authorities resort to censorship.
Dirty Sánchez is a tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain 💩 https://t.co/B3oyHrBYpR
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2026The proposals have also sparked international reaction. Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, responded online, writing, “Sánchez is the true fascist totalitarian,” and later adding, “Dirty Sánchez is a tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain.”
The Spanish government denies it is attempting to silence political debate, insisting its reforms are aimed at enforcing existing laws and protecting minors online. However, with both migration and digital regulation set to dominate Spanish politics in the coming months, critics argue Sánchez’s government now finds itself accused not only of opening Spain’s borders, but also of trying to control the conversation that follows.
