First report with disaggregated data: high rates of foreign detainees in homicides, robberies, and sexual assaults
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Ertzaintza published its first statistical report detailing the geographical origin of those arrested and investigated in Euskadi, a piece of information that the Basque Government had avoided disclosing for years. The central figure is striking: 64.21% of those arrested between January and September 2025 are foreigners, compared to 35% Spaniards. Among those investigated, nationals account for 57% and foreigners for 42.8%, an equally significant proportion.
The change began in October, when PNV decided to include the area of origin of those arrested in its official statements. The measure was presented by the Security Minister, Bingen Zupiria, as a gesture of "transparency." However, the decision came in a complicated political context for Basque nationalism, which is watching with concern as worries about insecurity are rising among citizens.
Pais vasco.
Pressure from PP and Vox also played a role. Both parties had been demanding for months that the Basque Government stop hiding the origin of offenders. Vox turned the demand into a parliamentary banner and Santiago Abascal celebrated the publication of the report, stating that now "what was previously hidden is now known." That message resonated with an electorate tired of sugarcoated diagnoses that do not match everyday reality.
EH Bildu, meanwhile, reacted harshly and accused the Executive of "yielding" to the right-wing narrative. The parliamentarian Eraitz Saez de Egilaz stated that the minister acted under pressure from Vox, attempting to divert attention from what is essential: the figures come from an official report prepared by Ertzaintza itself.
The details of the data are impossible to ignore. In completed homicides, out of 13 people arrested, 7 were foreigners, mainly from the Maghreb and Latin America. In sexual assaults, the disproportion is even greater: 117 out of 172 people arrested were foreigners. In thefts, 341 out of 414 people arrested were not Spaniards. In robberies with violence and intimidation, Ertzaintza arrested 358 foreigners compared to 79 nationals. In all crimes, the largest group among foreigners is of Maghrebi origin.
Arresto.
The figures forced PNV to toughen its tone. The mayor of San Sebastián, Jon Insausti, called for prison or expulsion for repeat offenders. The mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, linked the increase in the use of bladed weapons to cultures with a different valuation of life. These are statements that show a shift in discourse within Basque nationalism itself, after years of avoiding this topic.
The publication of the report marks a turning point. For the first time, the Basque Government is presenting the reality of crime with complete data, without filters or euphemisms. It remains to be seen whether the gesture will translate into effective policies or if it will be a belated concession in the face of a social concern that could no longer be hidden.
