The senator for Lanzarote, first secretary of the Senate Bureau and member of the Permanent Deputation, Manuel Fajardo, defended before the Chamber the 13 amendments presented by the Socialist Group to the motion urging the Government to adopt certain measures regarding migration policy in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands.
Fajardo asked the other parties to reflect on their discourse on this issue that affects many people and rejected the relationship between immigration and poverty and social exclusion in the Canary Islands, as has been done from other political formations. "Let's not build walls of xenophobia, of hatred. Let's not provoke great waves of incomprehension and lack of solidarity because the moment will come when there is no land to walk on, nor sea to navigate," he said.
In this sense, the Canarian senator defended in his speech "the firm commitment of the Socialist Party to continue managing migratory flows in an orderly and safe manner and to bet on a policy where solidarity and integration prevail from an integral point of view, with absolute respect for human rights."
The PSOE amendments
The Socialist Group presented 13 amendments to the text of the motion presented by CC, of which eight were accepted in their entirety and four partially. Among these, the three amendments of addition that were incorporated into the motion stand out to promote a new strategic plan for reception and integration, take the necessary measures to eradicate from Spanish society any xenophobic manifestation towards immigration and face the fact of irregular immigration from the social and health point of view with sufficient provisions within the framework of the COVID-19 protocol.
"The agreement reached is very positive," said Manuel Fajardo, who pointed out that the approved text includes practically all the amendments presented by the Socialist Party.
The PSOE recalled the work being done by the Government of Spain to respond to the migratory rebound that the Canary Islands has suffered this year as a result of the difficult situation in African countries due to the coronavirus pandemic, insisting on the necessary strengthening of coordination between all administrations in addressing the migratory situation in the Canary Islands. "Because only united will we be able to give an adequate and humane response to the people who arrive on our coasts every day seeking better living conditions," he said.
It was also demanded that the maximum integration of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in the Canary Islands continue to be requested. "It is essential to demand the collaboration of the European Union in the Canary Islands, since we are the southern community border," said Manuel Fajardo.
Another of the amendments presented proposes to include that the Maritime Safety and Rescue Society continues with its work of ensuring the service in each and every one of the points of our coastline, making an optimal distribution of its resources based on technical parameters. Also, that the collaboration between the Ministry of Defense and the rest of the authorities and administrations involved in the search for alternatives to face the exceptional circumstances of migrant arrivals to the Canary Islands continues.
"We have a lot of migratory experience and we cannot pretend to stop the flow of people who put their lives at risk crossing the ocean aboard deficient boats if we do not act at the origin," said Fajardo, also recalling the lessons of the past of the migration of the Canarians. For this reason, the Socialist Group encourages to continue advancing also in cooperation with the countries of origin of the migrants to prevent millions of people from being forced to leave their homes.
