Date Published: 19/08/2020
ARCHIVED - Sports Pavilion of Cabezo Beaza emptied as irregular migrants complete quarantine and are released
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
Cruz Roja has provided humanitarian aid during the recent surge in pateras arrivals
The Sports Pavilion of Cabezo Beaza in Cartagena has been cleared down and is being disinfected to resume its function as a sporting pavilion rather than as a temporary refuge for the irregular migrants who have been arriving on the coastline of the region recently.
The pavilion was brought into use due to the temporary closure of the network of migrant transit centres run by the national government in which irregular migrants crossing into Spain are housed during the period in which attempts are made to repatriate them to their country of origen. Due to the closure of the Algerian and Moroccan borders because of the Covid crisis it has been impossible to repatriate the irregular migrants who reach the coast in small “pateras”, hence the recent increase in numbers.
The pavilion was temporarily used to accommodate migrants being quarantined due to some of those sharing the small boats testing as Covid positive.
On Monday all of the migrants who arrived in the last major wave of boats were released after completing their 14 day quarantine.
Unfortunately there were two escapes during the period in which the pavilion was in use.
Cartagena council has said that it is happy to cede the installations to Cruz Roja if it is required again in the future.
An enormous logistical operation has been underway at the hands of Cruz Roja, which ensures that any migrants arriving in Spain are treated with dignity and given the humanitarian aid required on their arrival.
At the moment Cruz Roja is assisting the latest arrivals who landed at 11am on Tuesday morning on El Portús beach in Cartagena, surprising bathers.
Ten of the 30 migrants were detained by the police and taken to the Escombreras area of the port, temporarily ceded by the Port Authority where Cruz Roja undertook medical checks and Covid tests.
The remaining 20 migrants have yet to be located.
Images: Cruz Roja
Further background information:
Across the weekend of 24th-26th August more than 500 migrants arrived in dozens of small boats, and at least 200 more reached the coastlines of neighbouring Almería and Alicante at the same time; last weekend 130 more reached Murcia, three of them requiring air rescue from the Monte de las Cenizas in Cartagena. Other boats reached neighbouring regions, the same as in July, the idea of the organised criminal gangs who arrange these migrations being that a large number of boats spaced along the coastline, spreads coastguard resources thin and the chances of being detained are slimmer.
The migrants are not refugees, but are “economic migrants” from Algeria. Over 11,000 economic migrants have made the journey to Spain this year according to the latest Interior Ministry statistics.
Read the article; Irregular migrants escape again as Spain uses diplomatic tools to fight the problem at source” for more information about the way in which Spain is attempting to tackle the ongoing problem of irregular migration.