The PSOE of Lanzarote held a working meeting this weekend on the migration policy of the Government of Spain, with the participation of the Secretary of State for Migration, Pilar Cancela, and the island secretary of the PSOE and deputy in Congress, María Dolores Corujo.
The meeting was attended by representatives of various associations that are part of the Lanzarote Federation of Immigrant Associations, who conveyed their direct vision of the reality of reception on the island.
During the meeting, the Socialist Party warned that the real risk to democratic coexistence in Spain "is not immigration, but the organized racism that far-right parties have turned into their political project."
"There are political forces that have decided that hate is profitable. They have turned racism and xenophobia into the center of their discourse and point to migrants as the culprits of all social problems, instead of taking responsibility for housing, employment, or public services," said María Dolores Corujo.
Corujo warned that this strategy has real consequences in neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces: "They are trying to pit neighbors against each other. That is extremely dangerous. Lanzarote has always been an island of coexistence, and we are not going to allow a discourse that turns the person next to you into an enemy to become normalized."
Spain is welcoming with dignity
During the meeting, Pilar Cancela argued that Spain is maintaining a "serious, orderly, and humanitarian" migration policy, in contrast to the drift of other European countries "that have chosen to build walls, look the other way, or directly violate rights."
"Spain is welcoming. It is doing so with public resources, with institutional coordination, and with dignity. Right now, we are the only country that is responding in a responsible and humane way," Cancela said.
The PSOE of Lanzarote insisted on the need to speak with data in the face of hoaxes. "95% of the people who arrive in Spain do so in a regular and orderly manner, with their documentation in order, with a contract or a clear life project," explained Pilar Cancela. "There is no such chaotic 'invasion' that some try to push every day. It's propaganda. And it is dangerous propaganda."
Immigration is an opportunity for Spain
The PSOE also argued that immigration is not only not a problem for Spain, but is one of the keys to guaranteeing the country's economic and social future.
“Immigration is an opportunity for Spain. We are gambling with the sustainability of the public system, pensions, generational change in entire sectors, and the capacity to respond to real needs of the labor market,” María Dolores Corujo stated. “Economically, what should worry us is not that people come to work and live here. What should worry us is that they don’t come. That would be a problem for Spain.”
Along those lines, the decisive role of migrants in elderly care, in the countryside, in hospitality, in construction, and also in qualified sectors where there is already a staff shortage was recalled.
A policy based on opportunity, not fear
The PSOE of Lanzarote defended that the response cannot be the easy slogan of the so-called "pull effect," nor an electoral use of human suffering. "The best migration policy is to provide real opportunities, open safe routes, work with the countries of origin, and strengthen dignified reception. The rest is noise," summarized Pilar Cancela.
In this regard, the determination of the Government of Spain was highlighted. "If there is a courageous president in Europe on immigration matters, it is Pedro Sánchez. While other European governments only know how to talk about fences and express expulsions, Spain is defending rights, legality, and humanity," Cancela said.
Lanzarote is a welcoming island
The meeting concluded with a clear message from Lanzarote: "There is no place for xenophobia here," Corujo stated.
"Lanzarote knows what it is to emigrate and knows what it is to start from scratch. People from many countries and many cultures live together here, and we live together well. Our commitment is simple: we are going to stand by those who arrive, those who are already here, and those who were born here. Because in the end we are talking about the same thing: rights, dignity, and a shared future."