The stowaways who arrived last Friday at the Port of Los Mármoles, in Lanzarote, on a tugboat from Senegal, will be brought to justice this Monday, and it will be the judge who decides whether or not they will be interned in a Foreigners Internment Center (CIE), for not having authorization to remain in Spanish territory.
This has been confirmed to EFE by one of the duty lawyers who are assisting the 49 men of Senegalese origin, who explained that the regulations, in this case, stipulate that they cannot be held for more than 72 hours.
Currently, the adults, since according to emergency sources among the stowaways there were at least five minors, are in the tent installed in the port to assist migrants arriving in precarious boats.
"It is very healthy, everything is clean, they are very well groomed, they looked like they had rested, it is hot, but it is quite ventilated," he indicated.
However, the authorities cannot hold them there for more than 72 hours, which is why this Monday an Investigating Court will decide whether to intern them in a CIE or release them. There is also the possibility that the stowaways will apply for international protection.
If they are interned, the maximum duration will be 60 days, and if they cannot be returned to their country within that period, they would have to be released, the same source details.
"It comes into play that they are not people who enter by boat, but rather they enter hidden. So, they are given a different treatment. They are denied entry," he indicated, warning that there is "a huge legal vacuum because they have actually set foot on Spanish territory."
From a cayuco to the boat
The duty lawyer who is assisting six of the people who arrived in Spanish territory, has detailed that during the interviews he has had with them, they told him that they left Senegal in a cayuco, paying, that they arrived in Mauritania and that, once there, they boarded the tugboat, but without detailing when or how.
However, according to another of the duty lawyers, his assistants said that the boat in which they were traveling had been lost at sea for seven days and that, after sighting the ship, they took advantage of the fact that it was sailing slowly and climbed onto a structure it was towing, about 400 meters from the main ship, which is why the crew initially did not see them, according to this version.
The source has indicated that he does not know what has happened to the minors who were on board, because he is assisting the adults, but that they are receiving different treatment due to the protection they have due to their age.
The ship, flying the Dutch flag and bound for the port of Antwerp (Belgium), left Dakar, the capital of Senegal, ten days ago.
On Friday morning, he contacted the port of Arrecife requesting permission to dock and reported that he had found 49 stowaways on board the barge he was towing.
This past Friday, the port authorities had requested the ship to deposit a bond of one million euros, taking into account that maritime legislation establishes that the shipowner must take care of the maintenance, lodging and return tickets of the stowaways who travel clandestinely.
After several hours in which the ship remained at the limit of twelve nautical miles, waiting for the Maritime Captaincy to authorize its entry into port, the ship finally set course for Arrecife and the arrival of the stowaways was allowed "for humanitarian reasons", according to those same sources.
