Canary Islands promotes a law to strengthen ties with the 185,000 islanders abroad

The Canary Islands Government intends to promote a law on Canarian identity abroad next year with the aim of strengthening the bond with the approximately 185,000 Canarians and their descendants residing outside the archipelago, mainly in Latin America, as reported by the Vice-Minister of the Presidency, Alfonso Cabello.

This future regulation, which has already completed the public consultation process and is expected to be approved next year, will be a statutory development to structure the attention and support for the Canarian diaspora, "which has historically contributed to the social, economic, and cultural construction of the archipelago," Cabello indicated during the fourth edition of the Migratlantes Congress.

The legislative project will be developed with a participatory approach, incorporating the diagnosis and contributions from entities, groups, and the Parliament of the Canary Islands itself.

The objective is to provide these policies with a stable framework and avoid erratic actions, as detailed.

For 2026, the regional government has increased by 37% the budget allocated to actions aimed at Canarian citizens abroad, which includes strengthening human resources and outreach programs.

The future law aims to organize and guarantee these long-term lines of work, the vice-minister added.

The regulation, currently in its initial phase, will start from an updated diagnosis of the reality of Canarian emigration and will seek to establish a common roadmap around the recognition of Canarian identity that is maintained beyond the island territory.

Regarding the Migratlantes forum, which this year focuses on migration from Latin America and issues such as the impact of Donald Trump's policies in the United States and the diversion of flows towards Spain, Cabello highlighted that, after a year marked by the migratory emergency from Africa, it is necessary to "rebalance our perspective."

This means "also attending to historical Canarian emigration and the identity that continues to be built from outside the territory," he added.

As he explained, the historical, cultural, and linguistic ties with Latin America remain decisive, and many Canarians residing abroad maintain a strong emotional attachment to the islands.