CC advocates for recovering the socialist proposal to create a Ministry of Immigration

ACNThe spokesperson for the Canarian Coalition in the Congress of Deputies, Paulino Rivero, advocated today for recovering the socialist proposal to create a Ministry of Immigration, "and ...

August 31 2006 (13:14 WEST)
CC advocates for recovering the socialist proposal to create a Ministry of Immigration
CC advocates for recovering the socialist proposal to create a Ministry of Immigration

ACN

The spokesperson for the Canarian Coalition in the Congress of Deputies, Paulino Rivero, advocated today for recovering the socialist proposal to create a Ministry of Immigration, "and if not, there should be strong coordination that is not currently happening with the necessary intensity".

The nationalist deputy spoke today in the Congress of Deputies after the appearance of the Minister of the Interior, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, on the situation of irregular immigration in Spain.

Rivero took the opportunity to reiterate the need for a State Pact "that requires the agreement of all political forces", as it is a "matter of such importance that requires global policies and not only focused on the Ministry of the Interior".

The Canarian deputy said he agrees with the fact that no country can assume the number of immigrants who are moving, so he pointed out the need to carry out "policies in the country of origin".

He also denounced that the number of repatriations is "so low" -according to him, 298 Moroccans are still not repatriated and remain in centers in the Canary Islands-, so he advocated for promoting repatriation agreements, for example with countries like Guinea Conakry and Guinea Bissau, "because if not, the starting point will continue to shift".

Regarding the role of the European Union, Paulino Rivero pointed out that "it must give more", since the European Union, for the moment, has given "a scarce response, because it does not assume the problem as a priority". Rivero was referring to the deployment of Frontex that Europe has carried out in the Canary Islands, which "seems like a joke".

"It is ridiculous to talk about the possibility of extending it until December", said the CC spokesperson, for whom the deployed means "are not enough to cover a strip of hundreds of kilometers of African coast".

In that sense, he urged Europe to "exert all the political weight it can", understanding that it is "difficult for Europe to get involved in the control of the arrival of immigrants, when there are countries that have more flexible policies".

In addition, he emphasized the immigration that arrives through ports and airports, offering data such as that, only in 2001, about 21,000 immigrants with tourist permits entered the Canary Islands through airports, who later stayed in the country.

In that sense, he asked the minister what means the Government will put in place to carry out that control and urged him to launch medium-term measures with Africa, "where cooperation is necessary and the involvement of the Spanish state is essential, as well as a diplomatic effort accompanied by resources".

In relation to the Minor Policy and the Immigration Law, Paulino Rivero considered that neither one nor the other "contemplated the arrival of" immigrant minors, in what the deputy described as "a State problem and therefore all the autonomous communities have to be involved".

He also recalled that it is the State that assumes the responsibilities in the issue of minors, so he said he expects a "clear response and a decision from the Government to be able to carry out a referral seeking the solidarity of the autonomous communities".

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