ARCHIVED - Anger as irregular migrants are flown from the Canary Islands to the Spanish mainland

200 migrants were flown to the mainland without warning local authorities

The massive increase this year in the number of irregular migrants from Africa entering Spanish and EU territory by undertaking crossings to the Canary Islands in small boats continues to cause considerable headaches for the Spanish government, the latest controversy concerning video footage which appears to show that around 200 unauthorized immigrants were flown to Granada on Monday evening and released onto the streets.

Luis Salvador, the Mayor of Granada, expressed outrage that the Minister for the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, should allow this to happen at all, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic and without any kind of police control over where the migrants headed after landing on the mainland. On requesting clarification from the sub-delegate of the national government in Granada, he says he was informed that all of those on board the charter flight had their paperwork in order and were therefore free to go where they chose, but even if this is the case Sr Salvador is upset that no warning was given to the local or provincial authorities.

This particular point is causing the most confusion, as if the migrants had paperwork and were legally permitted to enter Spain then they would be crossing the land frontier, not risking their lives in a perilous sea crossing to the Canary Islands, so the most likely position is that they have identity papers from their native country which are valid as identification paperwork but no international passports.

This means that they have no legal right to work in Spain and their status is as irregular migrants.

The Spanish Government refuses to legalise those arriving in the country by illegal means, arguing that to do so would result in a massive influx of unwanted and illegal migrants.

The Interior Ministry denies having organised the flight, saying that its role is only to authorise the transfer to the mainland.

Meanwhile, Juan Marín, vice-president of the regional government of Andalucía, has confirmed that notification was received of two similar flights heading for Sevilla and Málaga, but that the Granada flight came as a complete surprise: all the more so since the Andalucía government had imposed a ban on inter-regional travel as part of the measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.

This re-location of migrants from other parts of Spain has been adopted as policy by the Spanish government while work continues to prepare large-scale camps to house the thousands of people arriving in the Canaries from Africa. Until now the government of the islands has arranged for the overflow from the existing temporary migrant detention facilities to be housed in tourist accommodation, but the regional government of the Canaries has made it clear that they are prepared to continue doing so only until 31st December; by this date the migrants must leave the accommodation provided.

The Government of the islands argues that it is unrealistic for them to assume the huge burden of tens of thousands of irregular economic migrants at their own cost and that they currently lack the resources to care for this many people. The islands government is also concerned about the negative impact on their tourism industry and is unhappy about the prospect of the islands being turned into huge migrant encampments. They also call for the national government to move the migrants to other areas of Spain; the regional governments are less than happy about this situation and say that immigration is the competence of the national government.

By 30th November the number of unauthorized arrivals in the islands this year had reached 19,566, an increase of 881% when compared to the same period last year and considerably higher than the total for the Mediterranean coastlines of Spain, and at times thousands of migrants have been sleeping on blankets spread on the ground, sharing a few chemical toilets and living in conditions where it has been impossible to maintain the safety distances required by Covid protocols. Efforts have been made to negotiate immediate deportation to the countries of origin of those crowded into the camps – principally Morocco, Senegal and Mali – but while these attempts continue to be frustrated the national government has little option but to distribute them to other regions of Spain.

Having successfully reached Spanish soil, the national Government has 3 choices; return them to their country of origin (which is proving very difficult at the moment), release them into the country where they must make their own way without being able to work legally or take on full responsibility for feeding and housing the thousands of irregular migrants who cross the Mediterranean in boats every year.

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