Valencia Approves "National Priority": The Vox Law That Forces Foreigners to Wait Years for Access to Aid

At a refugee association in Valencia, the report presents a profile that, according to the narration, is seen there every day. María Camila Salazar is Colombian and has lived in the region for two years. Her papers are in order and she works, but the new law requires her to wait five years before she can apply for social housing, a condition that does not apply to Spaniards.

Salazar explains her point of view: it is not about simply asking for financial aid. If she is working and paying into social security, that is, "contributing what the law requires," she believes she should have the same rights as a Spaniard.

Ángela Pedraza runs the association, and in her view, the national priority law will have disastrous consequences. She describes the situation of someone who has just arrived: while trying to get settled, they face a difficult housing market and an ever-rising cost of living, so they may suddenly need help. At that point, according to Pedraza, the answer will be that they are very sorry, but the person has to prove they have been in the region for at least three years. For rental assistance, she adds, as many as seven years may be required. Her conclusion is that, with these waiting periods, these people will never get out of their vulnerable situation.

The regional law was voted on July 22 in the Valencian Parliament and is the work of Vox, the far-right party, which presents it under the slogan "National priority by law." According to the report, Vox managed to impose this measure on the conservatives: the People's Party gave in to its demands in order to get its budget approved.

Vox does not intend to stop at the regional level. A party representative acknowledges that there is currently a limit, national legislation (the immigration law and the housing law), but states that if they reach the national government, they will try to repeal those laws and establish national priority there as well, that is, "first, as a priority, Spaniards."

The left-wing opposition has announced that it will file a legal challenge in the courts and argues that the law violates the Constitution. A judge interviewed in the report believes the challenge could succeed, albeit with caveats. He notes that this type of regulation has almost no precedent in Spain and that the general principle of national priority is still quite new, so it is not known what the Constitutional Court will ultimately decide. However, in light of how it has ruled on similar matters in the past, the judge suggests that the court could declare the law unconstitutional on the grounds that it is a discriminatory measure. The decision therefore remains pending.