Gabriel Rufián criticizes government on housing and migration in Salvados interview

Voter panel and electoral strategy

During an appearance on the television program Salvados on 27 September 2026, Gabriel Rufián, the congressional spokesperson for Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), answered questions while observing a five-person focus group behind a one-way mirror. The participants included Bea, a 26-year-old from Getafe who voted for Podemos in 2019 and abstained in 2023; Antonio, a 74-year-old pensioner from Madrid who backed Sumar; Laura, a 48-year-old Socialist voter from Malaga; Lluc, a 22-year-old ERC voter from Manresa; and Nieves, a 72-year-old from Badajoz who backed Podemos in 2023. The panel evaluated progressive politics, left-wing electoral strategies, and Rufián's choice to run exclusively for ERC in Catalonia rather than heading a national coalition. When Bea expressed disillusionment with fluctuating alliance proposals, Rufián noted that retaining voters like her is decisive for the future of progressive parties.

With all affection and respect for everyone, for me the key is her. Bea, a person who is completely right, disenchanted, young... If we are not capable of giving her a reason to go vote, we are screwed.

Housing policy and critique of PSOE

Turning to domestic policy, Rufián targeted the coalition government's management of the housing crisis following the eviction of a resident named Maricarmen. He argued that housing costs will sink progressive electoral prospects unless the cabinet acts swiftly through royal decree. The ERC spokesperson accused the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) of siding with large corporate property owners over low-income tenants, noting that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez convened large construction firms to discuss housing. To curb speculation, Rufián proposed imposing a 50% to 60% tax on property transactions starting from a buyer's third home, citing Singapore as an international precedent. He also demanded penalties on landlords holding vacant apartments and strict caps on rent increases to halt price growth driven by foreign investors who buy dozens of apartments to rent at 1,500 euros per month.

Nothing this government has done, no matter how good it was, will be useful if you do not solve the housing issue. Housing is going to destroy the left.

Migration debates and border control

Rufián also addressed the migration situation in Ceuta, where more than 70,000 people entered at the end of July by swimming or crossing the Tarajal breakwater. He stated that the left cannot avoid debates regarding border management and citizen security for fear of adopting conservative framing. Emphasizing that immigration requires order and established legal channels, he argued that legal accountability must apply equally to all residents regardless of origin. Rufián rejected accusations of racism when discussing repeat criminal offenses, stating that poor migrants currently face social stigmatization comparable to delinquents from past decades. He added that ignoring border control and public concerns enables electoral gains for right-wing and regional nationalist parties such as Vox and Aliança Catalana.

One of the things a country has to do is control its borders, and everything has to be based on rights and obligations. Whether your name is Antonio, Nicolai, or Hassan.