The Coalición Canaria deputy for Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, denounced this Wednesday in Parliament that in situations of migratory emergency, such as the one that the Canary Islands is going through, “there must be a mechanism for rapid and safe referral between Autonomous Communities, stable reception resources throughout the Spanish territory”, and not turn the Canary Islands “into a prison.”
“The current model is insufficient, inadequate and ineffective, and from the islands we ask the Executive chaired by Angel Víctor Torres to demand that the Government of Spain get involved and start solving this problem that worsens day by day and that has already become a structural problem,” he said.
In short, Betancort has demanded “more coordination and more resources, because with everything we have talked about irregular immigration, the progress made is little or none.”
According to the deputy, if the forecasts are met and no action is taken, “more than 33,200 immigrants could reach our coasts this year, representing an increase from 2019 to 2021 of more than 2572%.”
“What actions is this government taking to stop immigration at its origin, and how will the funds that the European Union has made available to the Government of Spain for humanitarian assistance be used?”, Betancort asked.
Another of the requests of the Canarian Nationalist Group is “the operation of the external surveillance systems”, especially in Lanzarote, since they assure that “it is the island where more people arrive by their own means, without being detected by the rescue teams, and putting their lives at serious risk.”
Likewise, Betancort reiterated the demand “for a Civil Guard post on the island of La Graciosa”, an island recognized by the Statute of Autonomy, which does not have “any state security force, nor boats that can provide a response.” “They have it completely abandoned,” says Betancort.
“The care and attention to the dignity of people who, it seems, each one has an assessment of what this means, making a special mention to minors,” Betancort finally pointed out, who added that “for them it is necessary to improve reception, speed up bone tests and school them so that they can have a tool that allows them to advance in their personal development, despite the circumstances, all with adequate psychological care.”