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Vox proposes mass deportations and citizenship audits in Spain

Saturday 05 July 2025 - 13:15

By: Dakir Madiha

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Far-right Spanish political party Vox has unveiled a controversial proposal to deport all previously undocumented migrants and audit the citizenship status of naturalized foreigners. The policy, part of its updated housing and economic programme, has drawn comparisons to measures enacted under former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

Deportation and citizenship revocation plans

Carlos Hernández Quero, a Vox MP, introduced the proposal during a public event on June 29th, stating, “By 2045, we Spaniards will be a minority in our own country.” This statement, though unsubstantiated, encapsulates the party’s fear of demographic shifts and its hardline stance on immigration.

Vox’s manifesto calls for the mass deportation of migrants who were previously undocumented but later regularized under governments led by the Socialist Party and the Popular Party. The proposed policy seeks to “reverse all the regularisations of illegal immigrants carried out by the two-party system.” This measure, which lacks due process and contradicts both Spanish and international law, could force over one million individuals to leave Spain.

Additionally, the far-right party aims to audit Spanish citizenship records, claiming that naturalization processes in recent years have been overly lenient. Despite Spanish law only allowing revocation of citizenship in limited cases, Vox argues that many naturalized citizens do not meet the criteria to retain their status.

Misrepresentation of data and xenophobic rhetoric

Vox’s leaders have used misleading data to support their arguments. Hernández Quero claimed that immigrants account for over 20 percent of Spain’s population, a figure contradicted by the National Statistics Institute (INE). Official data indicates that foreigners make up 14.1 percent of the population, while 19.3 percent were born outside Spain—this figure includes nearly three million Spanish citizens born abroad. Vox’s framing implies that naturalized citizens are not truly Spanish, regardless of their integration into society.

The party’s rhetoric blames immigrants for a range of socio-economic issues, including low wages, job insecurity, rising rents, and a strained welfare system. Hernández Quero alleged that migrants cost the state more than €30 billion annually, although no evidence was provided to substantiate this claim. Meanwhile, international reports have highlighted the contributions of migrants to Spain’s economy, particularly in driving self-employment and innovation.

Broader European context

Vox’s proposals align with a growing trend among some European parties to tighten immigration and citizenship laws. The Global Citizenship Observatory’s 2025 report found that more than a third of countries now allow citizenship revocation on national security grounds. Sweden, for instance, has introduced measures to revoke citizenship for gang-related activities.

Vox’s hardline immigration agenda continues to resonate with a segment of the Spanish electorate. Recent government polls show the party’s popularity has risen, with 15.2 percent of voters now backing its platform.