The Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, responded this Tuesday in Congress to Vox that the alleged pattern of crime linked to the foreign population that the formation often speaks of "is not sustainable" with official data or with the information handled by the institution.
This was stated during his appearance in the joint commission for relations with the Ombudsman, in which he made a strong defense of the migrant population against the questioning of Vox, which has linked the foreign population with an increase in crime.
Gabilondo has denied that citizen insecurity is a major concern for the bulk of the population and has reported that the Ombudsman received only 32 complaints about this issue last year out of the 34,402 claims in total, and not even these referred "necessarily" to foreign people.
"There is no evidence that the arrival of migrants increases crime," he asserted.
In addition, he recalled that in the latest CIS barometer, from February 2025, immigration occupies the eighth position on the list of problems of Spaniards, while citizen security occupies number 23.
Gabilondo has vindicated the role of migrants in sectors such as agriculture, livestock, and fishing, as well as their work during the Covid-19 pandemic, for which - he has defended - "more than a problem, they seem to be a solution."
He recalled that in 2024 the Congress approved the consideration of the popular legislative initiative for the extraordinary regularization of foreign people, and he pointed out that for the institution he presides over, it is "a matter of rights that must be addressed" to avoid situations of exploitation.
In his appearance, Gabilondo defended the need to talk about "distribution", and not "allocation", of unaccompanied migrant minors from tense areas such as the Canary Islands and Ceuta to other autonomous communities.
Regarding the Supreme Court's order on March 26 that ordered the Government to take charge of a thousand minor asylum seekers who were in the Canary Islands within ten days, Gabilondo assured that it seems "good" to him because it is in line with the recommendations made by the institution.
Vox is left alone in its discourse against immigration
This is how he responded to Vox deputy Ignacio Hoces, who assured that illegal immigration and its consequences on employment, security, public services, and Spanish identity is one of the biggest concerns of Spaniards.
He insisted on defending that there is a correlation between illegal immigration and insecurity and stressed that last year 65,000 immigrants arrived in Spain in an irregular situation, "mostly adult males, all Islamic and, consequently, enemies of our rights, especially those of women."
From the PP they have criticized the "xenophobic overtones" of Vox's discourse, which they have described as "alarming and lying." The popular senator María Asunción Mayo has also questioned the Government, whom she has accused of politically using migrants for the transfer of powers in immigration matters to Catalonia.
For his part, the socialist deputy Rufino Sancho has denounced the "call to hatred" that Vox's accusations represent, and has asked the PP to distance itself from the far right, xenophobia, and racism. He has defended that migrants come to Spain to work and because they need to flee their country, since "no one risks their life" at sea without necessity.
From the PNV and Sumar they have criticized Vox's discourse. "Relating immigration and crime is a lie as big as a house," said Sumar deputy Félix Alonso.