The head of Immigration uses his appearance in Parliament to confront the left: "It's absurd to sit here"

PalmThe Director General of Immigration and Development Cooperation, Manuel Pavón, appeared this Tuesday before the Parliament's Committee on Institutional Affairs to justify the suitability of his qualifications for the position. Far from doing so, Pavón used his appearance to attack the left, which he accused of condemning him before even meeting him. "All I expected was to be allowed to work and to be judged a few months later, not before. Unfortunately, that has been denied to me," he said, minutes after the hearing began. "What is surprising is that the reasons given for unilaterally deciding, without even knowing me, that I am not suitable for this position is that I have been a National Police officer since 2005, as if protecting citizens and upholding the law were a crime," he continued in a tense tone. Pavón stated five times that he is "proud" to be a sub-inspector in the National Police and emphasized that, in addition to holding a degree in Social Education, he expects to complete his law degree this year.

"It's absurd for me to sit here and continue explaining my merits, because I've been condemned before they've even met me or given me the opportunity to work," Pavón continued, visibly angry, before any parliamentary group had asked him a single question. "I'll save myself and you time. My information is available to you," he asserted, even though his resume is not listed on the government website—a brief summary can be found on the Transparency Portal. Pavón also highlighted that he founded the NGO Solidarity Police, one of whose activities involves "a colleague dressing up as Santa Claus and visiting sick children."

PSIB deputy Omar Lamin has been the most critical of Pavón's role and leadership of the government's immigration policy. "Judging by her tone, perhaps she doesn't know why she's here, or she has so little to explain that she's reacting this way," Lamin began, adding that the duties of the regional director general do not include "border control." "You're not a police officer, your job isn't security-related. You've explained few priorities: you haven't come here to work for migrants, but to use racism as a political tool," Lamin continued, accusing Prohens of using immigration as "a shield for her incompetence." "Her discourse is racist and inhumane, and she's neglecting her duties to continue stirring up trouble," Lamin criticized.

The Más MP for Mallorca, Marta Carrió, emphasized that her party has questioned Pavón's suitability due to his statements linking migration and crime. "We believe this thinking will be reflected in his political actions," she said, adding that this year, while the Balearic Islands are experiencing record numbers of migrant arrivals by boat, the crime rate has decreased by 2.6%. "Poverty, exclusion, hunger, and social cohesion are more closely linked to the crime rate. Migration worries citizens because there are narratives that generate fear," she added.

For his part, the spokesperson for Més per Menorca, Josep Castells, criticized Pavón for his "defiant tone, inappropriate in a committee whose function is to oversee senior government officials." "When someone goes into politics, they must be prepared to receive criticism. They should have the resilience to endure it stoically. I was also surprised by the emphasis he places on the pride he feels in being a police officer and the fact that his resume isn't on the government website," he continued. In contrast, both the PP and Vox considered Manuel Pavón the most suitable person for the position of Director General of Immigration and criticized the stance taken by the left-wing groups.