Hunting Them Down: The Far-Right’s Stance on Immigration and Child Rights

Original article: Cazarlos, pescarlos, uno a uno, a todos

By Esteban Spencer Vargas

In a few weeks, the fifth edition of the Regional Meeting of the Madrid Forum in South America is set to take place, organized by the Disenso Foundation, a think tank affiliated with the far-right Spanish political party Vox.

The choice of the new location is not coincidental: the longstanding connection between José Antonio Kast’s Republican Party and Vox, as well as its Ibero-American network, has been established for several years. Kast was among the founders of the Madrid Forum and has been a prominent speaker at its recent editions ¹.

Moreover, the organization acknowledges that its rise to power positions Chile as a key reference point for the international network ².

The political alignment between Vox and Kast’s party is stark, and the timing of this international gathering, just days before International Children’s Day, is fitting to examine Vox’s stance on the human rights protection for children and adolescents (NNA) in Spain.

As is well-known, the recent migration crisis in Ceuta has sparked a series of internal governance issues within Spain. One of these pertains to the treatment of individuals who entered irregularly by sea. While nearly all adults have been returned to Morocco, the autonomous city of Ceuta still holds close to two thousand people in migrant care centers, including around eight hundred minors ³.

This issue relates to the enforcement of international law ⁴ and Spanish regulations regarding the irregular entry of unaccompanied minors, who are derogatorily referred to as «menas.»

Spanish law ⁵ establishes protective measures for NNA who enter irregularly at borders, requiring that they be accommodated by social services on par with Spanish NNA. The same law mandates that the Spanish state act collaboratively and in a coordinated manner for the integration of these minors.

This arrangement falls under the purview of the Sectoral Conference on Childhood and Adolescence ⁶, which can respond to extraordinary migration contingencies with a Solidarity Response Plan, allowing for the transfer of NNA between Communities and Autonomous Cities. This could potentially alleviate the current strain on social services in Ceuta.

Both the declaration of extraordinary migration contingency and the Solidarity Response Plan must be established through unanimous agreement among the Sectoral Conference, which sets the most suitable criteria for transfers among Autonomous Communities, based on their technical and economic capabilities.

In response to calls to discuss the terms of an agreement, Vox has explicitly denied the possibility of dialogue with the Government, demanding mass and forced returns to Morocco, disregarding the legal mandate for special protection and integration of NNA.

Their opposition has employed a rhetoric of hate and violence that is becoming commonplace in global far-right movements, undermining ethical and moral standards that once informed public discourse.

For example, Vox Congressman José María Figaredo has called to «hunt them down, fish them out, one by one, all of them» ⁷, a treatment that not only strips individuals of their humanity by comparing them to wild animals but also incites and condones the emergence of militia brigades and criminal groups within the civilian population, which have already been observed in Ceuta and other Spanish cities.

Beyond these rhetoric-driven actions that have prompted cross-party condemnation and a criminal complaint for hate speech from another political group ⁸, it is evident that the Popular Party has decided to engage in discussions with the Government, further isolating Vox on the far-right spectrum.

The significance of this episode for the situation in Chile relates to two key points. First, it highlights the international projection of the Republican Party’s policies and José Antonio Kast’s Government concerning the roles of their main allies in sensitive areas such as the international protection of children, minors, and adolescents.

Second, it underscores the references the Republican Party adopts to tackle complex migration crises, considering that, unlike their Spanish counterparts, in Chile, they have the weight of administration within the framework of national and international laws on the subject.

Esteban Spencer Vargas / [email protected]

Notes

1 Interferencia. «A New Era for Ibero-America: Vox’s International Platform Lands in Santiago». 2026. https://interferencia.cl/articulos/una-nueva-era-para-iberoamerica-la-plataforma-internacional-de-vox-aterriza-en-santiago

2 Foro Madrid. «Santiago de Chile will Host the V Regional Meeting of the Madrid Forum during a Historical Change for Ibero-America». 2026. https://foromadrid.org/santiago-de-chile-acogera-el-v-encuentro-regional-de-foro-madrid-en-un-momento-de-cambio-historico-para-iberoamerica/

3 Euronews. «What Will Happen to the 2,000 Immigrants Still in Ceuta? Not Everyone Will Have the Same Destiny». August 6, 2026. https://es.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/06/que-ocurrira-2000-inmigrantes-siguen-ceuta-no-todos-tendran-mismo-destino

4 The international standard on this issue is clear regarding the special protective duty for NNA, applicable under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, especially its arts. 3, 20, and 22, addressing the best interests of the child, the duty of alternative protection, and special measures for migrant NNA. This has been reinforced by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in General Comment No. 6 (2005), regarding the treatment of unaccompanied minors and those separated from their families outside their country of origin.

5 Organic Law 4/2000, of January 11, on the rights and freedoms of foreigners in Spain and their social integration. Official State Gazette, No. 10, January 12, 2000, arts. 9.1 and 35 and following.

6 Presided over by the Ministry of Youth and Childhood, involving governments of the Autonomous Communities and Cities, including Ceuta and Melilla, Spanish enclaves in Africa bordered by Morocco.

7 Meneses Montserrat, J.C. «The Repugnant Discourse of Figaredo: He Reaffirms His Call to ‘Hunt’ and ‘Fish’ Immigrants in Ceuta». Catalunya Press, August 6, 2026. https://www.catalunyapress.es/articulo/politica-nacional/2026-08-06/5977608-video-repugnante-discurso-figaredo-reafirma-cazar-pescar-inmigrantes-ceuta

8 Diario Moncloa. «Hate Crime Vox: Compromís Takes Figaredo to the Supreme Prosecutor for Calling to ‘Hunt’ Migrants». Moncloa.com, August 8, 2026. https://www.moncloa.com/2026/08/08/delito-odio-vox-figaredo-fiscalia-supremo-3412458