The Ombudsman assures that the Temporary Foreigner Attention Centers (CATE) of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura "do not meet the necessary conditions" to be called as such. In this line, he insists that work must be done in both centers to "improve the facilities and introduce substantial changes in the operating regime".
This has been included in the Annual Report of the Ombudsman that reviews the year 2022. Upon arrival on land, migrants who do not require urgent health care go to a CATE. In these establishments they remain detained for 72 hours by the National Police.
Among the emergency operations created by the Government of Spain in 2020 due to the shortage of permanent resources, a warehouse was set up in Lanzarote to house migrants. This infrastructure was denounced by human rights activists and called the "warehouse of shame".
In February 2022, the Ombudsman recommended the "immediate" closure of this infrastructure, located on the road from Arrecife to San Bartolomé. "It does not meet the minimum conditions of habitability and health to guarantee the protection of health," he indicated in a report after the visit made on November 7, 2021.
At that same time, he recommended replacing the "warehouse of shame" with the CATE that was already enabled at the National Police Station in Arrecife. That month of February, after discussions between the Spanish Executive and the Arrecife City Council, the Council of Ministers unblocked its use and launched this space.
In March, it already suffered the first floods.
"Substantial improvements were appreciated with respect to the conditions found in previous visits," the Ombudsman points out about the CATE of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. "In the case of Lanzarote, it was verified that it was acting in accordance with the recommendation made," he pointed out. However, these improvements are not enough for the center to be considered as a Temporary Foreigner Attention Center (CATE).
The current CATE of Arrecife has been criticized by the Popular Party, the party that runs the capital. The mayor Astrid Pérez asked at the time that it be relocated outside the city center. However, the current area is close to the dock where the Maritime Rescue boats usually arrive after a rescue.
