Junts deny accusations of xenophobia amid immigration powers row

Jordi Turull, the secretary general of the Catalan pro-independence party Junts, dismissed accusations of xenophobia from other parties as "blackmail" and said Catalonia must have a national immigration policy.

"This accusation of xenophobia because we want to address this issue is unjustified and we will not be intimidated," he said. 

The controversy comes after an agreement reached on Wednesday between Junts and the Spanish government to transfer immigration powers to the Catalan government.

Speaking at Junts' National Council on Saturday, Turull renewed his call for Catalonia to have the right to decide on the deportation of convicted migrants who re-offend, a proposal branded "very dangerous" by Esquerra's Laura Vilagrà on Friday. 

"Not taking action against those who repeatedly commit crimes, whether they have lived here for fifteen days or eight generations, is what really jeopardizes coexistence and cohesion," Turull said.

Turull, the Catalan presidency minister at the time of the 2017 independence referendum who spent over 3 years behind bars, said the rise of the far right in Europe is "partly the fault of parties that avoid this debate." 

"Our country, like all European democracies, has to deal with this issue, and anyone who wants Catalan independence cannot avoid the challenges facing the country," he said in response to Esquerra's criticism.

Junts receives strong criticism

Catalan Socialist leader Salvador Illa said Junts was "falling into the same trap as the Spanish right: letting the far right set its agenda."

The former mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has criticized the "shift" of Junts towards positions similar to those of far-right Vox. She emphasized that it is "really serious" that Junts links migration with criminality.

Far-left CUP said Junts' agreement with the Socialists was based on a discourse reminiscent of the " far right" and "totally racist".  

"Junts has missed an opportunity to promote integration, choosing instead to embrace a racist discourse for a handful of votes," CUP MP Laia Estrada said on Saturday.