The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has lashed out this Thursday against the central Government, which she blames for using irregular immigration to "dismantle" and "blow up" public services. At the same time, she has claimed that her regional Executive is strengthening healthcare, education, and transportation in order to cope with the population increase.
Ayuso has expressed herself in these terms during the Plenary of the Assembly of Madrid, in response to the spokesperson of Vox, Isabel Pérez Moñino, who had asked her about the impact of immigration on the public services of the region. The Vox deputy has also urged the PP not to repeat the "mistakes" of the 2023 elections if it wants to succeed in ousting Pedro Sánchez from La Moncloa.
During the session of control over the regional Government, Pérez Moñino has questioned the president about how she plans to safeguard the public services of Madrid against the consequences of the central Government's immigration policies. She has referred to the arrival of migrants from Ceuta and has accused Sánchez of being willing to do "anything" to maintain power.
During her speech, the Vox spokesperson has attacked the president of the Government, accusing him of attempting an "electoral fraud" through changes in the census, and has argued that his strategy involves relocating thousands of migrants to the peninsula. She has also warned about the possible impact of this scenario on hospital waiting lists.
In her reply, Ayuso has defended that the Community of Madrid has been strengthening public services for some time in light of the demographic increase. However, she has emphasized that the regional Executive does not have the capacity to determine whether the people arriving come from Ceuta, access through Barajas airport, or enter from Guadalajara. In this regard, she has insisted that the regional Government promotes policies to structure the territory and favor balanced development.
Debate on the "mistakes" of 2023 and immigration management
Pérez Moñino has reiterated that the PP must keep in mind "who we have in front of us" and has demanded that her deputies avoid repeating the same mistakes that, in her opinion, were made in the general elections of 2023, warning that in the upcoming elections "we are playing for Spain."
The president of Madrid has responded that the failures were "on the part of everyone" and has accused the left of behaving in an "undemocratic and even violent" manner when it perceives that it may lose power. Likewise, she has insisted that the central Government resorts to irregular immigration to "tear apart coexistence in the streets" and "blow up public services."
Ayuso has emphasized that the autonomous communities are forced to manage a complex situation, despite the fact that, as she has pointed out, they lack competencies in matters of borders and migration policies, and has added that they also do not have direct powers in the field of security.