Ayuso: Someone Will Have To Clean Their Houses

Ayuso argues migrants should fill jobs Spaniards no longer want

Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso has defended in parliament that migrants should occupy positions rejected by national workers. "I say someone will have to clean their houses, harvest their crops, and build their homes," she declared, amid debate over the so-called expulsion effect from Vox. The remark has peine discussion on Spain’s labor model: an economy that, according to various analyses, sustains part of its competitiveness through foreign labor with low wages and precarious conditions.

What Ayuso Said and the Context

The Madrid president made the statement during a parliamentary intervention discussing the central government’s immigration policy and Vox’s proposals. The socialist spokesperson, in the same session, rebuked her: "Your chief of staff and your partner have admitted lies. You will have to do so too." The exchange of accusations occurred in a plenary session where immigration once again became the axis of confrontation between the PP and PSOE in the Madrid Assembly.

Ayuso’s PP has been accused by rivals of speaking like Podemos and acting like Podemos, in a paradox summarizing the confusion of the Spanish political landscape. The president, who in 2012 participated as a guest on the program La Tuerka, has seen her discourse on immigration align with the left’s defense of regularization, while maintaining policies to attract Latino voters in Madrid.

The Expulsion Effect and Orderly Substitution

The concept of the expulsion effect, coined by Vox, argues that the massive influx of immigrants displaces national workers from entire sectors. Ayuso has implicitly rejected it by stating that Spaniards no longer want these jobs. The discussion is framed in a country with over two million unemployed, according to data handled in the debate, raising a contradiction: if there is unemployment, why are foreign workers needed?

Some argue the problem is not a lack of workers, but a lack of decent wages. The most optimistic calculation assumes that, without migrant labor, salaries would rise and natives would return to these jobs. The pessimistic scenario warns that the productive fabric would grind to a halt within days: without immigrants, there would be no food on shelves, fields would remain unharvested, and basic services would collapse.

Impact on Housing and Wages

The arrival of immigrants has coincided with an unprecedented housing access crisis in recent decades. Some analyses suggest that demographic pressure on the real estate market has driven up rents and made it unviable for young Spaniards to move out. Others argue the problem is a lack of construction and speculation, not foreign demand.

On the wage front, competition for low-skilled jobs has kept salaries in check in sectors like hospitality, construction, and agriculture. Those defending regularization argue that migrants occupy jobs nationals reject due to conditions. Those calling for restrictions counter that these jobs are poorly paid precisely because there is an unlimited supply of workers willing to accept them.

The Political Paradox: From La Tuerka to the Assembly

Ayuso’s trajectory, from guest on La Tuerka to Madrid president, illustrates the volatility of Spanish political discourse. In 2012, the current president stated she felt "enchanted" by Pablo Iglesias. Today, her rhetoric on immigration coincides with the left’s defense of migrants’ rights, while her fiscal and housing policies align with the more liberal right.

Ayuso’s PP seeks to capture Madrid’s 200,000 Latino voters, a growing community that has become a disputed electoral granary. The remark about cleaning houses and harvesting crops can be interpreted as a nod to this electorate, but also as confirmation of the orderly substitution model Vox denounces.

The Debate on Modern Slavery

The comparison to slavery has hovered over the discussion. One part of participants argues that Spanish capitalism needs cheap labor to maintain profit margins and that irregular immigration fulfills this function. Another part counters that the problem is not capitalism, but internal traitors who allow unfair competition.

The disconcerting data: in a country with over two million unemployed, workers are imported for jobs that, according to the president, Spaniards do not want to do. The question lingering in the air is whether this is an uncomfortable reality or an excuse not to raise wages.