The Minister of Social Welfare and Inclusion of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Marci Acuña, appeared this Saturday morning at the headquarters of the Institution together with his counterpart in the Government of the Canary Islands, Francisco Candil, to show the "deep concern" existing in the face of the current "oversaturation" of migrant minor centers. In addition, Candil has denied that the situation of the Casa del Mar is what has been seen in the images released.
"The Cabildo of Lanzarote has six devices open on the island to assist these boys and girls. That represents a cost for this public Corporation of around four million euros. The Government of the Canary Islands has implemented new centers in Lanzarote (3), something that did not exist in the past Legislature, and we deeply appreciate it. However, we greatly miss the presence of the Spanish State in this matter. Because it has not opened any center, because it does not cede facilities and, ultimately, because it is not helping the Canary Islands in the face of an unprecedented migratory crisis," Marci Acuña reproached.
At a time when the Congress of Deputies is analyzing a necessary reform in the Immigration Law, to ensure a supportive regional distribution and give dignity to the care of thousands of minors, the island councilor of Social Welfare draws a "complicated panorama" facing the summer: "So far 40 boats have arrived in Lanzarote, and the forecast is that the second semester will be especially difficult. And in the face of that, we have to create new resources and be foresighted so that this situation does not overwhelm us even more. This is the concern that we have shared today with the Deputy Minister."
Acuña has confirmed that during the past year a total of 742 minors arrived in Lanzarote and La Graciosa, and that today there are about 200 migrant boys and girls who are being cared for. "Thanks to the effort of the Government of the Canary Islands," he explains, "transfers are made almost daily to other islands. But, we must also take into account that oversaturation exists in the rest of the centers of the Archipelago," he points out before recalling that there are about 5,500 minors who currently remain in migratory resources of the islands.
In addition, Councilor Marci Acuña stressed: "We are here showing our faces in the face of this complaint made about the resource, as we already did with the La Santa shelter. The Cabildo of Lanzarote and the Government of the Canary Islands are facing the problem daily, with scarce resources and alone. A drama that we hope does not reach situations of greater gravity."
"The images do not correspond to reality"
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare of the Government of the Canary Islands, Francisco Candil, has detailed that, in the meeting held this Saturday, the current situation of housing resources for migrant minors in Lanzarote has been evaluated. "We have been warning for months about the saturation of our devices and the need for the State to cede unused military facilities. Unfortunately, the response from the Ministry of Defense has been negative."
The regional official added that, in the case of the center located in the Casa del Mar of Arrecife, "the Government opened this device with the intention that it be temporary, but the inability to find alternative infrastructures has prevented us from closing it. However, improvement and sanitation works have been carried out, but with the difficulties that we have to carry them out without vacating the building."
Candil confirmed that the property "is not the ideal one, of course", but, first he denied that there were fifty minors currently housed there: "In this hostel that we had to rehabilitate there are currently 29 boys and girls, and nothing of 55 as has been pointed out." He also denied the veracity of the images released this week of the interior of the center, "which do not correspond to reality"; explaining that some were taken there months ago, just after a mattress fire. "In these months the center has improved," he stressed.
For Candil, "it is urgent that the State and the autonomous communities get involved in the care of these minors. It must be a matter of State and it is a priority that the reform of the Immigration Law be agreed so that the co-responsibility of all communities is guaranteed," he concluded.