The Secretary of State for Migration, Pilar Cancela, spoke this Friday on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero to explain the current status of compliance with the Supreme Court order, which urged the Spanish Executive in March to take in approximately 900 unaccompanied migrant minors who had applied for asylum and were still being cared for by the Canary Islands Government.
Currently, the Government of Spain has 15 days to take in 586 migrant minors seeking asylum who remain in the Canary Islands Executive's network of resources.
In August, the Government of Spain and the Canary Islands established an inter-administrative commission to work on the protocols and procedures for referrals. During this period, the State enabled the Canarias 50 resource, located in the La Isleta neighborhood (Gran Canaria), to provide temporary shelter to migrant minors who were to be referred to resources on the peninsula while the files were being completed.
Pilar Cancela stated on the morning show Buenos días, Lanzarote that since last August, the Government of Spain has already transferred 400 unaccompanied migrant minors from the Canary Islands to different resources under its ownership.
"Obviously, we have to continue working, because the number is higher," explained the Secretary of State for Migration, just the day after it was announced that the Supreme Court is giving the Spanish government 15 "non-extendable" days to comply with its order. The High Court also indicated that the current rate of execution is "manifestly inadmissible."
In this regard, Cancela explained that, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior, a total of 899 refugee migrant minors must be transferred. According to their figures, the State would still have around 580 minors pending reception. "We are ready to cover 586 places within 15 days from the day after we receive the official communication."
Delays in transferring documentation
Two weeks ago, the Migration Department made around 140 places available to the Government of the Canary Islands to host migrant minors. "We had not filled them until now because the Government of the Canary Islands had not sent us the appropriate files for the minors," he continued.
The Secretary of State for Migration has indicated that in the inter-administrative meeting held on October 14, the Canary Islands Executive reported that they were going to send 350 files. "That was not the case," she stated, and the central government reiterated that they had the 140 places available, but that they did not have the files sent by the Executive.
"This morning, we were sent approximately 153 files. Perfect, right now we have 140 places immediately available on the peninsula," he indicated.
At the same time, Cancela has reported that the central government is continuing to work on the peninsula with the different entities to open new places in different autonomous communities and comply with the Supreme Court order.
In this vein, the Secretary of State for Migration explained that the Government of Spain has not yet formally received the Supreme Court's latest order and that they learned of the resolution through the media and the State Attorney's Office.
"We can make assessments of whether we think it's the right way or not. We are going to put that aside because the important thing is to attend to the needs of the minors and that is what concerns us and what worries us," he concluded.
