Spain mayor refuses immigrant registration

The Mayor of Sestao, Vizcaya, Josu Bergara, has been reported for refusing to register foreign immigrants on the municipal census.

He has been reported by five families and two other people for corruption by omission and racism. Representatives from NGO SOS Racismo report that the problem has been ongoing since 2012.

Those affected first attempted to solve the problem with the mayor, without success, then went to the Ararteko (Basque Ombudsman) who told the mayor he had to allow them to register, also to no avail.

They have tried going through the National Institute of Statistics.

The mayor admitted that he had used a data base of people with police records in order to prevent “conflictive” immigrants from renting homes in the town.

He was also recorded saying that he no longer wanted “sh*t” coming to Sestao, and that “if they come, I’ll get rid of them, with a couple of slaps, because no-one wants sh*t.”

The mayor has since apologised for his comments, saying that he means he doesn’t want delinquents to come to the town and make people feel uncomfortable.