A series of violent cases involving foreign nationals has intensified Spain’s national debate over immigration and public safety amid government plans to regularize hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants.

A 26-year-old Senegalese man has avoided prison after admitting to raping a 14-year-old girl he met on Instagram, in a case that has provoked widespread outrage in Palma.

The rape occurred on Feb. 23, 2020, when the then 20-year-old met the schoolgirl through Instagram. He invited her back to his home in the Son Gotleu district of the Mallorca capital, and quickly demanded that she remove her clothing. When she refused, he raped her multiple times, knowing that she was a minor.

The girl filed a complaint with the local police, and he was arrested shortly after.

According to OKdiario, the defendant reached an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office under which he will not serve jail time, provided he does not commit any crimes over the next three years, completes 60 days of community service, and pays compensation totaling €7,500.

The defendant admitted in court that he forced the minor to have full sexual intercourse with penetration and pleaded guilty to sexual assault. The Public Prosecutor’s Office had initially requested that he be sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay €5,000 in compensation.

In a separate incident, a 22-year-old Colombian national, living illegally in Madrid and already with a criminal record, was arrested after allegedly raping, beating, and robbing a 20-year-old woman in gardens in the Retiro area of the capital. According to El Mundo, the suspect attacked the victim in a public park before being detained by police.

Colombiano, ilegal y con antecedentes.

Y tan tranquilo por Madrid violando españolas.

Las fronteras abiertas han convertido nuestras calles en un refugio para delincuentes de todo el mundo en donde se sienten impunes.

VOX limpiará Madrid de criminales. Que lo tengan claro. pic.twitter.com/2cG9ZLglV8

— Isabel Pérez Moñino (@Isabelperezmoi1) February 26, 2026

Responding to the Retiro case, Isabel Pérez Moñino, spokesperson for VOX in Madrid, said, “Colombian, undocumented, and with a criminal record. And so calmly walking around Madrid, raping Spanish women. Open borders have turned our streets into a haven for criminals from all over the world, where they feel they can act with impunity. VOX will rid Madrid of criminals. Let them be clear about that.”

Further incidents reported earlier this month added to the controversy. In Xilxes, Valencia, a 39-year-old Algerian man was arrested by the Civil Guard after allegedly breaking a restraining order and slashing the throats of his wife and her 12-year-old child. The woman had been registered in the Viogen gender-violence monitoring system and was classified as “medium risk.” The restraining order against the suspect was due to remain in force until 2027.

In Calella, in the province of Barcelona, a 24-year-old Moroccan man was arrested after allegedly attacking his partner with a blunt object, leaving her in a state of brain death, and critically injuring her mother. He had been the subject of a search and arrest warrant for double attempted murder before being located and detained.

Spain: Moroccan migrant arrested for raping and strangling 54-year-old woman to death in Barakaldo

In Barakaldo, near Bilbao, a 27-year-old man of Moroccan origin has been placed in provisional prison after being accused of raping and murdering 54-year-old Josune M.D. in her apartment. According to preliminary autopsy findings, the probable cause of death was strangulation, and investigators identified head trauma and genital injuries. Police allege the suspect returned to the apartment after the killing to retrieve his mobile phone and later reported a lost wallet without mentioning the incident. VOX leader Santiago Abascal wrote on X in response: “Regularization… a crime against Spaniards.”

As Spain prepares to legalize up to 1.3 million migrants, two brutal crimes highlight the cost of open borders

This remark referenced Spain’s Socialist government’s announcement of a broad regularization of illegal migrants. While officials have said around 500,000 people are expected to benefit, a leaked police risk analysis from the National Center for Immigration and Borders suggested the true figure could range between 1 million and 1.35 million, including between 250,000 and 350,000 asylum seekers.

Foreigners commit two-thirds of sexual offenses, and three-quarters of homicides and robberies in Spain’s Navarre region, bombshell police report reveals

Crime data has further fueled political debate. An internal report from the Navarre Regional Police, cited by El Español, found that foreign nationals accounted for 62.96 percent of arrests for sexual offenses, 73.3 percent of arrests for homicide and attempted homicide, and 71.77 percent of arrests for robbery-related crimes in 2024 and up to Nov. 25 of last year, despite foreigners making up around 13.2 percent of the region’s population.

Similarly, in the Basque Country, the Ertzaintza reported that 64 percent of detainees between January and September 2024 were foreign nationals, while foreigners represent approximately 14.1 percent of the population.