The Cabildo has been forced to accommodate the immigrants from the seven boats that have arrived on the island since Saturday, with the exception of minors, in the facilities of the Sports City, due to the lack of another space to locate them, as confirmed by the Minister of Social Welfare, Isabel Martín.
Until now, immigrants arriving on the island were housed in a warehouse that was set up in Playa Honda and managed by the Red Cross, after being rented by the central government. However, for reasons that Martín claims to be unaware of, when it was to be used this Sunday, "it was not available."
Thus, lacking another space, it was decided to transfer the immigrants to the Sports City, which has been used as a shelter for homeless people. In fact, there were still 19 users in the facilities, who had to be transferred last night.
As La Voz reported, the users who remained in the shelter were awaiting referral to the facilities of the former Drug Dependency Care Center (CAD), which the Cabildo has made available to the Red Cross for the care of homeless people. However, according to the Minister of Social Welfare, their transfer was scheduled "between today and tomorrow" and had to be "rushed" to Sunday, in order to accommodate the immigrants.
"Are you serious that with this type of actions the PSOE intends to give lessons in humanity?" CC has questioned, from where they have denounced that the users of the shelter were taken to the CAD "at one in the morning." Something that Isabel Martín has denied, who has assured that the transfer was made "at 10 at night." Likewise, the councilor has pointed out that she hopes that the immigrants can be transferred to other islands in "two or three days." "But if this level of avalanche continues, we'll see," Isabel Martín pointed out, fearing that more boats may arrive.
Specifically, since last Saturday, 193 people have arrived on the island by boat, but those who declared themselves to be minors, who are around thirty, have been transferred to the minor centers. Thus, there would be about 160 who are staying in the Sports City.
CC demands that Corujo and Torres "stop paying homage to Sánchez"
After the flood of boats arriving in Lanzarote in the last three days, CC has also demanded that the central government "assume once and for all its powers in immigration matters and begin to treat the Canary Islands with respect". Likewise, the nationalists have demanded that the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, María Dolores Corujo, and the president of the Canarian Government, Ángel Víctor Torres, "put aside political colors, position themselves as Canarian leaders that they are and stop bowing to the interests of a Government that does little or nothing for the Canary Islands"
“We do not ask for more than what is done in other territories, we only ask the PSOE to act with the same speed, involvement and firmness that is applied in other territories in migratory matters, as has happened for example in Ceuta, and to respond urgently to the situation, without forgetting that all these people arrive on our islands fleeing the war and famine of their countries,” said the island secretary of CC, Migdalia Machín.
Likewise, the nationalist leader has announced that her formation will request information about the Covid protocol that is being followed to accommodate immigrants in the Sports City. And it is that, Machín questions "the social policy of piling people with problems in ships without decent conditions", which the PSOE is following on the island".
For his part, the Secretary of Organization of CC Lanzarote, Echedey Eugenio, wonders if the mayor of Arrecife, the popular Ástrid Pérez, "plans to continue with her arms crossed only to remain in a pact with the socialists to secure her seat, or considers that the time has come to punch the table." “The PSOE is guilty but the Lanzarote PP is also guilty, as it is allowing the socialists to handle the pact they maintain in the Cabildo and in Arrecife at will, while in Madrid, the popular demand urgent solutions in this matter,” he said.
Finally, Eugenio has described as "lamentable" the speech of Ángel Víctor Torres on Canary Islands Day where, when talking about immigration, he pointed to Europe as guilty and responsible but not a single word aimed at self-criticism, nothing to reproach the Government of his boss, Pedro Sánchez, completely ignoring that we are also paying the consequences of the terrible foreign policy that is being developed and the failure of diplomatic relations with Morocco. They are laughing at us to our faces and, meanwhile, irregulars continue to arrive on our coasts without us having either the means or the infrastructure to act.”