The Government of the Canary Islands has censured this Monday the "silence and the lack of coordination" of the central Executive in the face of the strong migratory surge that the islands are experiencing. The regional cabinet maintains that the Government of Spain had "reports," at least "since the month of July," warning of the "migratory surge" that was going to affect the Canary Islands and about which they "did not inform" the autonomous administration.
"We express our enormous concern about the migratory surge that is occurring in the Canary Islands, and the neglect with which this issue is being addressed by the Government of Spain. The data is compelling. In what we have of October, 3,899 migrants have arrived on our shores, 240% more than the same 25 days of the previous year," highlighted the Government spokesperson, Alfonso Cabello, in a press conference after the matters agreed upon in the Government Council.
"And what is the State doing in the face of this reality? The truth is that we do not know," Alfonso hinted, who recalled the request from the regional Government, conveyed by the counselor Nieves Lady Barreto and formulated "up to three times," for the Ministry of Interior to convene a Security Board Canary Islands-State that can materialize an administrative coordination.
"Right now --Cabello continued--, El Hierro, which has 11,000 inhabitants, has received 1,535 migrants in a single week. It is unsustainable. They have had to articulate emergency openings of centers for minors. The entry into force of the Migration and Asylum Pact, and the lack of coordination around it by the State, has been slowing down all procedures."
Cabello warned of the "feeling" of the Government of the Canary Islands that the State, moreover, would have known, "at least since July" and through "certain intelligence reports," the increase in the migratory flow that is now being suffered in the islands due to the "pressure" in the environment of Ceuta and Morocco. "And it did not convey it to the Canary Government to be able to dimension a response," he added.
The Government spokesperson recalled that, in addition, President Fernando Clavijo has also sent a letter to President Pedro Sánchez, requesting him to focus on this migratory surge in the Canary Islands, convening, among other requests, and in an "immediate" manner, the Security Board Canary Islands-State to assess the arrival forecasts and coordinate a response.
The objective, he has pointed out, is to approve an extraordinary emergency plan in the Canary Islands for the coming months, "with more rescue, surveillance, and reception resources, and that also strengthens the resources of Maritime Rescue, surveillance, and health response," especially in the most affected islands such as El Hierro, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and Gran Canaria.
The spokesperson for the regional government has also emphasized how "tense" the health situation is in El Hierro. "Every time there is an arrival, depending on the average time they have spent at sea, they need an initial assessment and an initial medical response. I insist, El Hierro has 11,000 inhabitants, and in one week 1,535 migrants have arrived, therefore, of course, the health situation on the island is tense. It is a situation of capacity."
"What we have from the State Government is silence and lack of coordination. We know absolutely nothing about the rhythms and times in which the diversions (of migrants) are occurring," Cabello lamented.