Certain regions of Spain are the main entry points for the diaspora. It is known, for example, that 500 Moroccans and Algerians try to cross the borders of Ceuta and Melilla. But the critical point is the Canary Islands, where 22,304 people are counted as of a couple of weeks ago.
While the disagreement between the government and the opposition in Spain over migration reform continues, the Canary Islands invited the European authorities to see the reality of the situation.
The initiative comes from the regional president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, who sent a letter of invitation to the head of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, so that she could learn first-hand about the problems of these islands in the face of the wave of immigrants arriving on their shores. According to official sources in the Canary Islands, Clavijo sent a letter to Von der Leyen to visit the area so that he could corroborate the difficult panorama he faces, in the hope of securing a greater commitment from the European Union (EU).
The conservative Popular Party (PP), however, distanced itself even further from a possible agreement with the national executive to reform the law on foreigners, according to its spokesman, Borja Sémper.
According to Sémper, Pedro Sánchez’s administration does not act and does not attend to the proposals and conditions put forward by the PP: “If we stick to what the government does and says, unfortunately there is no possibility of agreement because the government does not listen. It ignores, it looks the other way in the face of the phenomenon, but also in the face of the measures we propose”.
Although with nuances, Sánchez and his team insisted on the need to push forward the reform that would benefit the Autonomous Communities in order to better deal with the migration phenomenon. The Canary Islands is the main focus of entry, but Ceuta and Melilla also have high rates of attempts to enter Spain. In the latter cases, records indicate that around 500 Moroccan and Algerian nationals try to cross the borders.
In any case, the critical point is the Canary Islands, where 22,304 people were counted as of 15 August. The Spanish government has already announced that it will give 50 million euros to the Canary Islands, earmarked for migration management.
The promised amount, however, depends on the PP’s support for the reform of the law on foreigners, according to which the referral of unaccompanied migrant minors would be allowed quickly, along with the release of the 50 million euros. The Canary Islands raised the alarm at the beginning of the summer for not being able to properly attend to the more than 6,000 unaccompanied minor migrants, who were eventually distributed to other regions, but not in the required numbers. PL
(Translated by Cristina Popa – Email: gcpopa83@gmail.com) –Photos: Pixabay