The governing Partido Popular in the Balearics announced on Monday that they will not support a proposal to eliminate early intervention services for children of undocumented immigrants.
This proposal has come from Vox in the form of an amendment to the Balearic Government's 'Omnibus Law', which as the title suggests covers a wide range of issues. Early intervention is for children up to the age of six with developmental disorders or who are at risk of developing them. Vox have insisted that legal residency in Spain should be a requirement for receiving this intervention.
PP spokesperson Sebastià Sagreras explained on Monday that his party's own amendment was merely aimed at to reducing bureaucracy. Requirements for accessing this service are determined by the National Dependency Law. This aid is directed at a particularly vulnerable underage population. "The last thing they need is political noise." Vox's intention is to add a further amendment in respect of residency. They were under the impression that the PP had agreed to this, but on Monday the PP said they would either vote against the Vox proposal or withdraw the amendment completely.
Opposition parties welcomed the PP's stance. Lluís Apesteguia of Més argued that making parents' immigration status a condition of aid to minors was "indecent and despicable". He believed that the PP had reached an agreement with Vox but that pressure from the media and social organisations had forced them to back down. Iago Negueruela of PSOE described the proposal's content as "absolutely racist and delirious".
Relations between the PP and Vox continue to be difficult. They have been ever since the election in 2023, when the PP failed to win a majority in the Balearic Parliament. They have had to rely on Vox for legislative support, and Vox have not made things easy.