The Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR) presented its Annual Report on Refugees in Spain and Europe this Monday. The country is at the bottom of the European Union in terms of asylum recognition rate, precisely in a year in which the need for protection continues to increase worldwide.
The organization points out that the average "worsens four points compared to the previous year, favorably resolving only 12% of applications, while the European average improved three points to reach 42% recognition."
The entity states that this setback contrasts with the current international context, in which wars, violence, and threats have caused a new record of 120 million forcibly displaced people in the world, according to the latest UNHCR data. In addition to entrenched conflicts such as those in Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, or Sudan, among others, there are two new major humanitarian emergencies, such as the genocide in Gaza or the growing sociopolitical instability in Senegal and the Sahel countries, which is causing a considerable increase in arrivals to the Canary Islands.
Migration reality in the Canary Islands
70% of arrivals to Spain were concentrated on the route to the Canary Islands (a total of 39,910 people). This drastic migratory rebound triggered an unprecedented humanitarian emergency since the so-called 'cayucos crisis' of 2006.
In the first five months of this year, the rate of arrivals has been maintained, especially of people coming from Senegal. In addition, the presence of more and more women and children without family references stands out, for which the protection system of the islands is not prepared, according to the CEAR report.
In response, the Government of the Canary Islands has recently reached an agreement with the central government to process the modification of the Immigration Law and articulate a system for distributing the reception of minors.
The organization highlights that the state response to the humanitarian situation was rapid and extraordinary measures were activated, such as the declaration of emergency and the opening of new reception places in the peninsula, with the implementation of large Emergency Reception Centers (CAED). This response prevented the repetition of overcrowding situations such as those that occurred in 2021 at the Arguineguín pier.
"Although they initially served to decongest the situation, Spain must have a stable reception structure, both in the islands and in the Peninsula, that responds to the increasingly frequent situations of large arrivals," demands Juan Carlos Lorenzo, territorial coordinator of CEAR Canarias.
In addition, he denounces that in terms of reception, the response was not comparable to that given to the Ukraine emergency: "The difficulties in obtaining appointments to initiate the protection procedure, together with the limitations in the length of stay in humanitarian care places, leave some people in a situation of vulnerability and at risk of social exclusion."
The president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, begins by recalling the genocide in Gaza, which to date has forced more than 1.7 million people to flee their homes. He emphasizes that Gran Canaria occupies a main place in the reception of migrants and refugees and that guaranteeing access to international protection must be a priority. He claims that establishing legal and safe routes would be an effective blow against the mafias and deaths at sea. "Despite the fact that the majority of people arriving in the archipelago come from Latin America, we are concerned about the dangerousness of the Canary route," he concludes.
For his part, the Minister of International Solidarity and Institutional Cooperation, Carmelo Ramírez, points out that "we must continue to denounce the causes that provoke this situation because if we only attend to the effects, the system will not change."
The territorial coordinator of CEAR Canarias, Juan Carlos Lorenzo, recalled that the report not only describes a terrible reality, but also proposes proposals to improve the lives of refugees and migrants. "It is essential to get out of the emergency and give importance to the structural approach to this phenomenon." In the Canary Islands, applications increased by 17% compared to 2022, reaching 8,621. Of these, the majority of people came from Venezuela, Colombia, and Cuba, and at a greater distance are African countries such as Senegal and Mali. He also insists on the challenge that the Canary Islands has with unaccompanied migrant children. "The situation is unsustainable for the archipelago, and we come across the incomprehension of other autonomous communities," he says.
To conclude the round of interventions, Mor Camara, a Senegalese asylum seeker, shares that the first time he saw the sea was on the Canary route. He had difficulties getting his family to approve his decision as he was a minor and it took him several months to be able to take the boat. His family worked in agriculture and he saw that his father worked harder and harder and due to the drought the harvests were getting worse and worse, so he saw no vital horizon in his country. He now works in a children's center, is part of a football team, and feels calm and hopeful.
A devastating Pact for the right to asylum
In its report, CEAR also analyzes the devastating consequences that the recent European Pact on Migration and Asylum will have on the right to asylum, on all human rights, and on the lives of people. An agreement that "strengthens border control and focuses on preventing people from arriving, expelling them as quickly as possible and without sufficiently betting on legal and safe routes."
Regarding this, Antonio Morales points out that, despite not approving the entirety of the Pact's content, its application must be guaranteed. For his part, Carmelo Ramírez considers that this does not address the causes and does not promote changes in impoverished countries to prevent people from being forced to emigrate.
However, CEAR calls on citizens and civil society organizations to demand that the Spanish Government implement the Pact in a guaranteeing manner, with the aim of minimizing risks and guaranteeing the highest standards of protection. "The result of the European elections is worrying because it reinforces the parties that seriously threaten the right to asylum. We hope that Spain will promote a change of course to place people and their rights at the center," says Juan Carlos Lorenzo.
