'Alarm in the Canary Islands' Migration agreements with Catalonia while the cayucos collapse the islands

 

The recent agreement between the PSOE and Junts to transfer powers in immigration matters to Catalonia has raised concerns in the Canary Islands. This agreement allows the Generalitat to manage aspects such as security in ports and airports, the administration of Foreigners' Internment Centres (CIE) and the processing of long-term residence permits. Meanwhile, the Canary Islands are facing a humanitarian crisis with more than 5.500 unaccompanied minors housed in precarious conditions.

 

 

With the new agreement between PSOE and Junts, Catalonia obtains key powers in migration management, including shared border control between the Mossos d'Esquadra and the State Security Forces, the management of Foreigners' Internment Centres (CIE) and the processing of long-term residence permits. This means that the Generalitat will have greater autonomy to decide on the reception and regularisation of migrants, a power that the Canary Islands do not have, despite being the main gateway for irregular immigration in Spain. While Catalonia has access to these resources and control, the Canary Islands continue to depend exclusively on the decisions of the central Government, without direct capacity to manage migratory flows or take measures to alleviate the saturation of its reception centres.

 

Coalición Canaria (CC) has harshly criticised the central government for its haste in responding to Catalan demands, while the requests of the Canary Islands for an equitable distribution of migrant minors among the autonomous communities have been postponed. David Toledo, CC's Organisation Secretary, has pointed out that the Executive shows a 'lack of political will' to resolve the migration emergency in the islands, evidencing unequal treatment towards the Canary Islands compared to other regions.

 

 

So far in March 2025, at least 15 cayucos have arrived in the Canary Islands with approximately 1.200 migrants.

• On March 1, three cayucos arrived in El Hierro with 223 people, including minors.

• On March 5, five cayucos arrived in El Hierro and Gran Canaria with 275 people, including 18 women and 3 minors.

• On March 8, four cayucos were rescued near El Hierro and Gran Canaria with more than 190 people on board, including women and children.

• On March 9, two cayucos arrived in El Hierro and Gran Canaria, bringing the total number of people rescued in seven boats over the weekend to 452.

 

 

The approval of this agreement in the Cortes Generales could aggravate the situation in the Canary Islands. The delegation of powers to Catalonia could make it difficult to implement comprehensive and equitable migration policies at a national level, leaving the Canary Islands in a vulnerable position and with limited resources to manage the growing arrival of migrants. The saturation of reception services on the islands is an alarming reality that requires immediate and coordinated solutions from the central government.