The Ertzaintza, the autonomous police force of Spain’s Basque Country, has published its first report ever on the origin of detainees, with the data showing that 64 percent are foreigners, despite foreigners only making up approximately 14.1 percent of the population.
The statistics, which cover January 2025 to September 2025, are in many ways groundbreaking for Spain. It is the first time that the geographical origin of those arrested and under investigation is included in police data.
There were 80,111 crimes between January and September 2024, with 64.21 percent of those arrested being foreign nationals and 35 percent identified as Spanish.
For serious crimes like intentional homicide or murder, foreigners committed 53.8 percent of all such crimes. A total of 13 people were arrested and three were investigated. Six of those arrested were Spanish (either Basque or from other regions of Spain), and seven were foreigners. Two were from Maghreb and five from Latin America.
For sexual assault, foreigners were responsible for 68 percent of all cases.
For robbery with force, foreigners were responsible for 68.6 percent of cases.
For robbery with violence or intimated, they committed 81.9 percent of all cases.
Foreigners committed 71.1 percent of fraud, 64.3 percent of all motor vehicle thefts, while for “other property offenses,” they were responsible for 77.5 percent of all cases.
For driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, foreigners were responsible for 84.9 percent of cases.
A graph shows a breakdown of these crimes and many more, which was posted on X.
Me tomé la libertad de añadir una fila al inicio de la gráfica con el porcentaje de población autoctona y extranjera. El porcentaje más aproximado de extranjeros en Vascongadas en 14.9%. Yo he redondeado al 15%. pic.twitter.com/1ZiSWDZS2I
— Odin el Asgardiano (@odin_asgardiano) November 13, 2025In the Basque region of Spain, the foreign-born population has doubled in the last decade, jumping to 316,942 people, representing 14 percent of the total population. Ten years ago, this number was only 137,397.
Reporting on foreign origin
The Ertzaintza (Basque Police) implemented a significant change in its crime reporting policy in mid-October, now including the geographical area of origin of individuals arrested and investigated. This decision, which was followed by the publication of the first detailed statistical report this Wednesday, has been a direct response to political pressure.
The Security Department’s decision to disclose the origins of those arrested followed demands from the PP and Vox parties, according to El Confidential.
Amaia Martínez, the sole Vox member of parliament in the Basque Country, has made this issue a central focus.
Last October, Santiago Abascal, the leader of Vox, boasted on social media of having successfully pressured the Ertzaintza to change its communication policy. He argued: “Thanks to Vox, we know the origin of criminals, something that governments and many media outlets have been hiding for years. The reality is that the most serious crimes have multiplied due to the open borders of the PSOE, PP, and their permanent separatist partners.”
Shift in Basque Nationalist Rhetoric
In recent months, the governing PNV (Basque Nationalist Party) has also taken a tougher stance on crime, even though the party was often known for its left-wing positions in the past.
The mayor of San Sebastián, Jon Insausti, argued that repeat offenders “should face prison or deportation.”
His counterpart in Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, has previously linked the use of bladed weapons to “cultures where the value of life is different.”
Similarly, Zupiria has connected the use of knives or razors in certain crimes to “foreigners without roots in the community.”
Faced with this change in police policy and rhetoric, the coalition EH Bildu has become the primary critic. The coalition harshly criticized the Department of Security, accusing the minister of capitulating to Vox. Parliamentarian Eraitz Saez de Egilaz declared last October: “The fascist far right is influencing him.”
