The Canary Islands Prosecutor's Office has once again warned in its autonomous community report for 2025 about the deficiencies of the Temporary Center for Foreigner Attention (CATE) in Lanzarote, located next to the National Police station in Arrecife, which has already been the subject of criticism on other occasions.
This space serves as a reception area for the survivors of the makeshift boats during their first 72 hours on the island and usually floods with rain and collapses with the arrival of several boats
In a section dedicated to reception centers for foreigners in the Canary Islands, the Public Prosecutor's Office points out that the CATE in Arrecife, Fuerteventura, and Tenerife "are not adequate places for the entry of foreigners" and that, despite the constant flow of migrant arrivals by sea to the archipelago, "they continue to maintain a provisional character".
Alongside this, the Prosecutor's Office highlights that the most "serious" aspect is "the **total and absolute lack**" of legal or regulatory provisions in the Temporary Centers for Foreigners. In these places, people are deprived of their liberty, and the corresponding police commissioner is responsible for their organization and operation.
To this, add that its condition has worsened due to "the suffering of said facilities" caused by the passage of time and the constant flow of people.
The Ministry already warned in its 2024 report of the "endemic provisionality of this space" and highlighted that "it does not meet the necessary conditions for initial reception". To this is added that the Ombudsman already warned in 2023 about the deficiencies of this space.
The Impossible Detection of Trafficking Victims
The Public Prosecutor's Office warns that the nature of CATEs prevents the detection of trafficking victims. "It is a task that we could describe as impossible," states the Prosecutor's Office's Annual Report, because in these spaces "there is not enough time" for qualified personnel to detect victims.
Decrease in the arrival of minors
The Prosecutor's Office highlights the "immense" effort that Immigration Prosecutors are dedicating to resolving age determination cases, although cases in 2024 have decreased by 25.5% compared to 2023.
In total, 790 cases were initiated in the province of Las Palmas, the majority involving males, of which 538 were resolved, with 152 resulting in the detection of adults. Meanwhile, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1,420 cases were initiated and 439 were resolved.In this regard, the number of files in the province of Las Palmas fell by 25% due to the decrease in the arrival of boats to the province and the "adequate screening" that National Police agents are carrying out at the docks or beaches.
