Migrant Regularization and Ayuso's Housing Spark Debate in Vallecas Assembly
The opposition criticizes the Madrid president's stance on migrant regularization and the use of public resources for personal matters.
By Patricia Gómez Navarro
••4 min read
IA
Generic image of a microphone on a podium during a political debate in a legislative assembly.
The Vallecas Assembly was the scene of a new political confrontation this Thursday, April 16, 2026, where migrant regularization and the alleged use of public resources for Isabel Díaz Ayuso's housing sparked a major controversy.
The plenary session in the Vallecas Assembly was marked by the controversy generated after the approval of migrant regularization by the Council of Ministers last Tuesday. This was compounded by the controversy surrounding the alleged employment of Álvaro Sanz, head of the office of the Presidency of the Community's Secretariat, to manage the search for a new home for President Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
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"You have to be a bad person to oppose in the Supreme Court that migrants who already live and work in Madrid can live a little better. What we are talking about is giving equal opportunities to our children's schoolmates. Enough of talking about massive avalanches, cheap labor... Migrants are normal people, no better or worse than the rest."
The spokesperson for Más Madrid, Manuela Bergerot, lashed out at the regional government's stance, linking the situation of public services to the actions of "the rich" and "speculators," rather than migrants. She also referred to the upcoming visit of Venezuelan opposition figures María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, criticizing the president's alleged double standards.
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"Go out onto the balcony of Puerta del Sol and greet María Corina's fans. Tell them that you are going to the Supreme Court to try to keep them undocumented. The only Venezuelans you care about are those who travel Business Class, but those who take the Metro every morning to go to work are superfluous to you."
For her part, Mar Espinar, from the PSOE, criticized Ayuso's refusal to accept the regularization proposed by Pedro Sánchez, comparing her stance to that of Donald Trump. She emphasized that regularization implies equal rights and obligations, and that it has the consensus of employers, unions, and the church.
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"Regularization means the same rights and obligations. They are our neighbors, colleagues, and friends. We need them and they know it, but you deny them the opportunity to live without fear. This regulation has the consensus of employers, unions, and the church. And since you are new to this Catholic faith, I will tell you that Jesus is more in favor of regularizations than processions (...). What Spaniard does not have a relative who emigrated in search of a better life? You want migrants, but cleaning your chalet, your penthouses, without rights but with a cap. You talk about Latinos, about Hispanicity, about the Madrid of all accents, but the truth is that you are taking us all for idiots."
From Vox, Isabel Pérez Moñino, insisted on the harm that care for undocumented migrants causes to Madrid's public health system, estimating that more than 700,000 have been attended since Ayuso took office. She questioned the president's consistency in being scandalized by regularization while, according to her, continuing to attract thousands of people to Madrid.
In her reply, Díaz Ayuso shifted the focus to the Spanish Government's international relations, accusing it of approaching "dictatorial" regimes and breaking the alliance with the United States. She also defended the work of the Catholic Church and the voice of the Pope, and condemned dictatorships such as those in Iran, China, Cuba, and Venezuela.
Another point of her intervention was an ironic criticism of alleged failures to feminist principles within La Moncloa, alluding to the "Koldo Case" and the use of public money to favor women based on their personal relationships.
Finally, the opposition also dedicated part of the session to criticizing the use of public resources for the president's personal affairs, such as the search for a third home, valued at one million euros, and her relationship with the Quirón healthcare group.
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"President, what a life. From having the dream of buying a house to going for the third in one legislature. Life treats you well, Quirón treats you well, and your chief of staff puts on the Tecnocasa suit for you."
Espinar also accused the president of "greed" in real estate matters, suggesting that Quirón could be involved in the increase of her assets, while she "covers up her boyfriend's shenanigans," Alberto González Amador.
