Refugee crisis: Violent situation on vacation islands - Spain plans deportation offensive

Refugee crisis: Violent situation on vacation islands - Spain plans deportation offensive

Las Palmas / Madrid - After the

reluctant to deal with the dramatic migration situation in the Canary Islands for a long time, it is now coming under pressure.

During a visit to Gran Canaria, the conservative opposition leader Pablo Casado complained: “The

looking the other way.”

received criticism from his own socialist ranks.

After he “finally woke up” weeks after the beginning of the crisis, as a TV commentator put it, he is now planning an emergency camp for several thousand

, but also a diplomatic offensive to deport newcomers.

More than 18,000 people from

fled to the

in small, open wooden boats this year

.

According to official information, the number has increased by 1000 percent compared to 2019.

Most recently there were

within just four weeks.

The

are currently in a difficult situation anyway because of the

lack of economic income from tourism

due to the

.

The increased

is now an additional burden.

The vacant hotels made it possible to

accommodate

at least

in 17 accommodations.

Refugee crisis in the Canary Islands: weather conditions reduce the number of newcomers

Most recently,

up to 2300

days

on the pier in

in the south-west of

in poor hygienic conditions outdoors and in a small space.

They slept on concrete.

Casado accused Sánchez of perceiving the dire situation from a distance, but not acting.

"He must finally react," he demanded.

He must

mercilessly deport

the

.

Due to the bad weather, the number of newly arrived

the weekend.

According to media reports, no boats arrived on Friday and Saturday, on Sunday morning only one with 78

.

But the public discussion remains tense.

In order to counteract the emergency situation,

now

planning

emergency camps on

for 7,000 people, as

announced.

The warehouse should be completed within a few weeks.

Refugee crisis in the Canaries: Serious allegations by regional politicians against the government

In the

however, there have already been

.

warn of a "social explosion", emergency services and the police are no longer able to control the situation.

Sánchez also receives criticism from within his own ranks.

The

, socialist regional president Ángel Víctor Torres scolded: “The

are rebelling and resisting being the only place in

that is supposed to accommodate

the entire

.” The regional

wrote on its cover at the weekend: “The State leaves the

in the lurch. ".

Meanwhile, Spanish politicians are trying to tackle the problem a few steps beforehand and

to make

illegal

more difficult.

Sun traveled

to

,

to

and

Fight smuggling mafia.

Transporting

from the

to the mainland is

currently not an option

for the

Foreign Minister

traveled, however

to

,

to negotiate

measures against

.

Before that, in Geneva, she had met the heads of the International Organization for

(IOM), Antonio Vitorino, and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, asked for help.

wants to

react

to the

with humane, responsible and solidary measures.

The plan is to work with countries like

a "zero tolerance" policy with regard to the

mafia.

Because other escape routes are closed, many refugees are now arriving in the Canary Islands - and are being held there.

"I think that Europe is pursuing the clear strategy of turning us into a prison island," says the island president of Gran Canaria: https://t.co/JFOPUjeYKV

- Pro Asyl (@ProAsyl) November 16, 2020

Refugee crisis in Spain: Most of the refugees come from Morocco

Interior Minister Grande-Marlaska told

those who advocate a “more humane” approach and the admission of

: “

is determined by the EU, not

alone”.

It is imperative to avoid suction.

He emphasized this after a meeting with his

colleague Abdelouafi Laftit.

Most of the

who

arrive

in the

from

more than 100 kilometers away

. There are bilateral agreements for the return of

. But due to the

, this could not be complied with to the same extent in the past few months.