Spain’s Sánchez Stands Alone Against EU’s ‘Guantánamo’ Migrant Plan

Most European governments want to build detention centers for migrants outside the EU. Critics call them “Guantánamos” because of the risk of human rights abuses. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is the only major leader refusing to agree. The plan would create “return hubs” in non-EU countries, mostly in Africa and Asia. Migrants waiting for asylum or facing deportation would be sent there. The idea gained support after far-right parties won more votes across Europe. Nineteen EU countries backed the plan in June. They want Brussels to pay for it. The cost could reach 20 billion euros for the 2028-2034 budget. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, a social democrat, said the centers could exist by 2027. She argues they can follow international law. “No one has convinced me this is not a social democratic idea,” she said. Sánchez disagrees. He calls the plan “contrary to EU values.” France’s Emmanuel Macron also shared that view. Sánchez instead pushed through a regularization process for undocumented migrants in Spain. The program received nearly 1.2 million applications, mostly from Latin Americans. He argues migrants are vital to Spain’s economy. “Without migration, 90,000 bars would close, 50,000 classrooms would be empty, and one in three farms would disappear,” he said. The European People’s Party (EPP), which leads 12 EU governments, criticized Sánchez directly. They warned that large-scale regularization could “weaken the credibility” of EU migration policy and create a “pull effect.” Spain’s Migration Minister Elma Saiz rejected that argument. She said the permits are valid only in Spain. They do not allow migrants to move to France or Germany. EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner insists that “irregular migrants should leave the EU.” But he also warned in June 2025 that stopping all legal migration would make European economies 9% to 15% poorer in 20 years. Europe’s population is shrinking. Eurostat predicts 53 million fewer people by 2100. Sánchez remains defiant. He says he will not adopt far-right ideas to win votes. “And if they have any doubts, they can talk to the Vatican,” he said after the last EU summit. He prefers to stand alone than to stand with the far right.