Javier Milei accused Pedro Sánchez’s government of encouraging arrivals in Ceuta for electoral gain. At a Nueva Economía Fórum event, he also argued that migrants cost public finances more than they contribute.
Javier Milei defended liberal ideas at a Nueva Economía Fórum event on Wednesday, October 21, then turned to Spain’s migration policy. The Argentine president accused Pedro Sánchez of encouraging arrivals in Ceuta for electoral gain and called the Spanish prime minister a dictator.
He alleged that the situation in Ceuta was deliberately encouraged and that the government viewed each migrant as a potential vote, saying, “Every immigrant is a vote.” Milei accused socialists of putting political power ahead of the country’s welfare.
His remarks came as debate continued over the scale of the arrivals and Spain’s response. Frontex reported 18,260 irregular crossings on the route covering Spain and the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla from January through September, 26% more than in the same period a year earlier. The agency said data on the large crossings into Ceuta on July 30 and 31 remained under review and were not fully included in the figures.
On October 19, Ceuta’s regional president, Juan Vivas, estimated that 15,000 to 17,000 migrants remained in the city after the July arrivals. A Spanish government report said that by October 13 authorities had carried out 4,432 initial identification and case-review procedures, while 11,686 people had returned from Ceuta: 11,161 voluntary returns and 525 expulsions. Spain’s Interior Ministry said it had doubled processing capacity to around 100 cases a day.
Reuters reported that more than 1,000 people from sub-Saharan African countries remained in Ceuta, while most arrivals were Moroccan nationals. Spanish government statistics cited by Reuters show asylum claims from people from sub-Saharan African countries are granted in more than 90% of cases. The government said around 12,000 people had crossed back to Morocco since mid-August. Reuters also reported human-rights concerns over fast-tracked case reviews and returns.
Milei also challenged the economic case for unrestricted immigration. He argued that countries receiving large numbers of migrants remained economically stagnant or had worsened, and claimed migrants generate more fiscal costs than they produce.
He rejected solidarity as the motive behind socialist measures and urged Spaniards to remove socialists from power. Milei called that a debt of honour, arguing that Spain was the cradle of liberalism.
The remarks came amid other political criticism involving Sánchez. A separate Madrid school protests row involved accusations against his government over teachers’ demonstrations.
