The decision by the Spanish government to fast-track a decree reforming the country’s Immigration Law to force other regions to take migrant children currently cared for by the Canaries has been welcomed as a massive step by the authorities here.
Under the new measure, over 4000 young migrants who have arrived in the Canaries in recent years and cannot be returned to their countries of origin due to their age will be redistributed to other parts of the country. The deal had been stalled by opposition from several regions and has only been made possible by a wider agreement between Spain’s ruling socialist party and the Catalan Junts party, whose support is needed to keep premier Pedro Sánchez’s minority government in office.
All Spain’s regions have been given until 31 March to notify the national government of the number of places they have available to care for the youngsters, who are mainly African. Madrid also announced the criteria that will be used to calculate how many youngsters each region will be forced to accommodate if unanimous agreement on the share-out is not reached at a forthcoming meeting on specific redistribution arrangements.
Within hours of the announcement, critics rounded on Sánchez after it emerged that Catalonia and the Basque Country, the country’s richest regions and whose MPs tacitly help ensure Sánchez can govern, are likely to benefit most from the distribution criteria and will take in fewer migrants than other regions. Media reports suggest that Catalonia will only be asked to accept 20-40 of the young Africans, compared to Madrid’s anticipated quota of 700.
The migrant deal announced yesterday was only possible after Spain agreed earlier this month to grant extended powers to Catalonia, including in matters of immigration – a policy area traditionally reserved for national government.
Reacting to the breakthrough deal, the president of the Canaries Fernando Clavijo paid tribute to the hard work by political parties here to raise the visibility of the problem of young migrants, which has placed unbearable strain on the region’s limited resources. Clavijo also praised the population of the tiny island of El Hierro, which bears much of the brunt of the migrant arrivals, and the NGOs and officials who work round the clock to look after the youngsters.
