The Temporary Foreigner Reception Center (CATE) of Lanzarote, a temporary facility installed by the Ministry of the Interior, composed of tents and located next to the national police station of Arrecife, is once again at the center of controversy due to its poor condition. This space is intended for the reception of migrants during the first 72 hours they spend on the island under police custody, while they are identified.
As shown in the images published by the councilor of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Jacobo Medina, this temporary reception center is full of mud and humidity. After the floods of April 12, the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, already reported in a press conference that the center was flooded and inoperative. However, the images published by Medina reveal that the situation has not been resolved.
In the photographs disseminated by the councilor, it can be observed how the plastic roof of the space is full of dirt and humidity, the campaign beds are full of dust, and the facilities are not cleaned up. "Muddy tents, mold-covered ceilings, lack of hygiene, and general neglect. And in these conditions, migrants are being housed, human beings who arrive on our coasts seeking a dignified and safe life," Medina stated on social media.
The also vice president of the Migration and Social Inclusion area of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, Jacobo Medina, has announced that he will ask Pedro Sánchez to "act now" and not to look "the other way."
The Ombudsman already warned in its 2023 annual report, which reviewed the year 2022, that this space could not be considered a temporary care center for foreigners because it did not meet the requirements. The report highlighted that it "does not meet the necessary conditions" and that "substantial changes" should be introduced in its operation.
Two years later, the Prosecutor's Office Report of the Canary Islands stated that this space suffers from an "already endemic provisionality" and that it still does not meet the necessary conditions to provide initial reception. The Public Ministry highlighted that this site consists of "tents, without shade and unpaved" and that it is "normal for it to exceed its capacity," planned for 300 people. The State Attorney General's Office also urged the Spanish Government to create "permanent and dignified facilities."
In addition, every year, with the increase in arrivals of migrants due to instability in the Sahel, coupled with the improvement of sea conditions, this space becomes saturated and collapsed. Thus, the State Attorney General's Office urged the Spanish Government last year to create "permanent and dignified facilities."
