Immigration was the most prominent disinformation topic identified in Spain and Portugal between March and May 2026. The finding comes from IBERIFIER’s quarterly report, which brings together the main false claims and disinformation narratives detected by the fact-checking organisations that form part of the Iberian observatory.
Despite common patterns in both countries, Spain saw a particular focus on political disinformation, while in Portugal, financial fraud-related content was also prominent.
In both countries, narratives about immigration displayed similar characteristics. False claims circulated about the growth of the Muslim population, the expansion of Islam’s influence, and an alleged threat to cultural and demographic identity. In Spain, the extraordinary regularisation process for migrants became one of the main focal points of these narratives.
In Spain, the main strand of disinformation centred on the association between immigration and political and electoral issues. False narratives portrayed immigration as a demographic, cultural and security threat, drawing on concepts such as “invasion” and the “Great Replacement”. Migrants and unaccompanied foreign minors were frequently and unfoundedly linked to crime and insecurity.
In Portugal, false narratives focused mainly on alleged social and tax benefits granted to immigrants, the number of foreigners in the country, and an alleged expansion of Islamic influence.
A particularly relevant feature of the Portuguese case was the circulation of content originally produced in other European countries, including false stories about crime, public policies and religious practices.
Another major focus identified by the report was financial fraud. In Portugal, there was an increase in attempted scams involving messages impersonating public institutions and well-known companies, including EDP, the National Road Safety Authority, the Tax and Customs Authority and Caixa Geral de Depósitos. The aim of these campaigns was to obtain personal or financial information.
The use of artificial intelligence also emerged as a cross-cutting trend in both countries. The report indicates that all the fact-checkers analysed carried out fact-checks on content created using AI.
Newtral photo.
