On Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged 50 million euros in aid to the Canary Islands, which are struggling with a migration crisis. The government accuses the opposition of blocking a change in the law that would allow the relocation of underage migrants.
The Prime Minister of the Canary Islands government, Fernando Clavijo, who met with Sanchez on the island of La Palma, received a promise from the head of the Spanish government of 50 million euros to combat the crisis, mainly for the care of minor immigrants. According to local authorities, juvenile detention centers are overcrowded by more than 250%.
Apart from these 50 million euros, Sanchez did not present any other solution
– comments the portal “El Debate”.
The Canary Islands government is demanding that Congress amend the Foreigners Law, which would allow central authorities to transfer minor immigrants to various parts of the country. The proposed changes were already voted on in parliament in late July, but were opposed by the Popular Party (PP), the country’s largest opposition party, as well as the Vox and Together for Catalonia (Junts) parties.
The Sánchez government accuses the PP and its leader Alberto Nunez Feijó of delaying the solution to the migration crisis in the Canary Islands.
Increase in the number of illegal migrants
The Spanish Interior Ministry has recorded a 66% increase in the number of people who entered the country illegally in just over seven months of 2024 compared to the same period last year. The majority of illegal immigrants, approximately 70 percent, arrive in Spain via the Canary Islands; compared to the first months of last year, their number has increased by 126%.
The media in Spain stress that Mauritania is currently the main problem in terms of illegal immigration. Its coastal waters are increasingly on the Atlantic route for residents of the central Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea region who want to reach the Canary Islands without a visa.
This is one of the most dangerous routes taken by migrants in the world. According to the organization Caminando Fronteras, which defends the rights of migrants, around 5,000 people drowned on the Canary Islands route between January and May this year. people.
Sanchez is expected to visit Mauritania at the end of the month to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
evil/PAP
