Spanish Government

Reports say a new group of migrants has arrived on the Spanish island of Mallorca, adding to arrivals reaching Spain's Balearic Islands. Critics of the Spanish government's migration policy are voicing anger online, accusing Madrid of allowing uncontrolled entry of people from Africa and the Middle East into Spain and the wider European Union, while official reaction has not been detailed.

Posts circulating in Spain claim that roughly 78,000 military-age men crossed into Ceuta from Morocco, describing tent camps, violent crime, harassment of women, and a population of 84,000 briefly overwhelmed. The posts blame Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government for the situation. The figures far exceed any officially confirmed crossing, and no comparable numbers have been reported by authorities or mainstream outlets.

Junts, the Catalan party led by Carles Puigdemont, has announced it will vote against the Spanish Government's two housing decrees, a move that could bring down Pedro Sánchez's minority administration. With the Socialists relying on Junts' support in Congress, the rejection threatens the survival of the legislature and raises the prospect of early elections or fresh negotiations with the Catalan party.

President Lula publicly defended his son Lulinha, saying he doubts his son lobbied any of his ministers. The remarks came after reports that Brazil's foreign ministry, Itamaraty, helped a lobbyist friend of Lulinha move to Madrid, with the Spanish embassy's involvement confirmed. Opposition outlets are pressing the government over preferential treatment, while the presidency dismisses wrongdoing.

Junts, Carles Puigdemont's Catalan party, has announced it will reject the Spanish government's two housing decrees, putting the automatic renewal of rental contracts on course to lapse just hours after taking effect. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez refuses to withdraw the decrees and is pressuring PP, Vox and Junts to reveal their stance, while Junts calls the measures botched and demands they be redrafted. Commentators note Sánchez now faces pressure both from street protests over evictions and from the threat of elections.

A Reuters Breakingviews column argues that Spain's push to tax or curb rentier landlords — dubbed 'rentier euthanasia' — is aimed at the wrong disease in its housing crisis. The piece suggests the government's measures against property owners do not address the real causes of unaffordable housing, such as limited supply, and may prove counterproductive for Spanish renters.

An emergency has been declared in the Spanish city of Ceuta after reports that tens of thousands of migrants crossed into the enclave from Morocco. Critics are sharply condemning Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, accusing him of refusing to deploy the military to secure the border, and the situation has reignited debate over Spain's migration and border policies.

Fresh footage from Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa, shows large groups of migrants from the Maghreb on its beaches and streets, 62 days after Madrid declared the migration crisis there resolved. The scenes contradict Spanish officials' statements that the situation had been brought under control, prompting criticism of the government's account of conditions in the enclave.

Spain's government has suspended plans for a special law to accelerate asylum procedures. At the same time, a human rights NGO has accused the Spanish armed forces of violence against undocumented people. Reports also describe makeshift shelters destroyed by fire, and a demonstration has been held in Madrid over the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.

Spanish PM Sánchez's office has released phone records and given statements to counter Ceuta's president Juan Jesús Vivas, who claims eight calls went unanswered during the May 2021 migration crisis. Chief of staff Antonio Hernando's phone log reportedly does not show the missed calls Vivas describes, while a former PSOE official has handed a judge data suggesting the government delegation knew about the crisis in advance.

Demonstrators marched on Spain's Parliament in Madrid as emergency housing decrees faced rejection in Congress. The protests reflect growing public anger over the housing crisis, with critics saying the government's emergency measures have failed to deliver relief for tenants struggling with rising rents and limited affordable housing. The decrees' expected defeat has turned frustration toward both lawmakers and the government.