Image: Archive. Cruz Roja in Escombreras
The Guardia Civíl has detained nine irregular migrants who arrived by sea in a small boat (patera) from the African coast and landed on the beach of Puntas de Calnegre, in the municipality of Lorca, without being detected by marine rescue services and the Spanish coastguard.
The Policia Local was notified of their arrival by a member of the public around 08:00 who saw the boat on the beach and a patrol from the Guardia Civíl was despatched to intercept and detain them.
Illegal immigration is the competence of the Spanish national government, not the local municipal councils who run (and pay for) the Policia Local, and since the beginning of the covid crisis, many local police departments are reluctant to intervene when illegal migrants reach Spanish beaches, due to the many situations in which the immigrants have subsequently tested positive and it has been necessary to quarantine all those with whom they have had contact (including any local police who have been in proximity). For this reason, the local police will notify the Guardía, which is run by the state to come and collect the migrants.
All nine are believed to be of Algerian nationality and are in apparently good health.
As is normal with these irregular arrivals, the migrants were taken to the Cruz Roja installations in the port of Escombreras, in Cartagena, for Covid 19 testing.
