Delays in relocating migrant children exacerbate the collapse in the Canary Islands

 

The Canary Islands are demanding urgent solutions to the pressure on their network of shelters for unaccompanied migrant minors, which now exceeds 5.685 in care across the archipelago, according to official data from the Canary Islands government. The regional government is warning of a collapse in the centers, with 70 active facilities, 31 more than at the start of the legislative period.

 

The central government and the Canary Islands agreed to activate a plan for relocations to the peninsula, although its implementation will not begin until mid-August or even September. The delay is due to the processing of two necessary decrees, the political deadlock by several autonomous communities, and the summer holidays, which affect institutional operations.

 

Regional Minister Candelaria Delgado has been clear: waiting until September is unfeasible. Despite the fact that 827 minors have already been admitted to the state humanitarian assistance network, the situation in the Canary Islands remains critical. The regional government also requests that minors be transferred under police custody, with the participation of the Prosecutor's Office if they are rejected in the destination communities.

 

The conflict is exacerbated by the resistance of eleven communities governed by the People's Party (PP), which have appealed the distribution to the Constitutional Court, citing a lack of funding and a violation of their powers. Murcia, Castile and León, Aragon, and Madrid are some of the regions that have expressed their outright opposition to the distribution.

 

In contrast, Catalonia has confirmed the initial reception of around thirty minors from the Canary Islands. The Ministry of Youth and Children has approved €22 million to support the most affected communities, although the Canary Islands report that at least €140 million are needed to cover the real cost of the system.