Since the beginning of October, when the humanitarian crisis broke out in the Canary Islands, with the massive arrival of migrants, the Ministry of Inclusion and Migration has already transferred Catalonia to 1,988 migrants, of which 33 are minors, from the Canary Islands, according to the data managed by the Generalitat. A low figure compared to the 9,500 Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Catalonia a month after the start of the war. “They are not men who pose a public danger. They are kids who are very tired and lost and really want to move forward,” explain sources from the NGOs that manage the reception. These entities have been searching for weeks accommodation for these people. Most of them are located in coastal hotels that are now in low season. This reception cannot be extended beyond one month, according to the humanitarian reception plan. “Some quickly find an option, but others will be left hanging more,” the sources point out. And some of these migrants fear that, after that month, they will be left to fend for themselves on the streets.
Social entities are using hotels on the coast, now in low season, to host them for a month
Very young men, who have crossed a desert, who have spent days lost on the high seas and who are physically and mentally devastated but happy to have arrived alive. These are the almost 2,000 immigrants who the ministry is relocating to Catalonia.
The transfers of migrants who arrive by boat from the Spanish coasts to municipalities like Barcelona are nothing new. It has been happening for 17 years. “The only difference is that now we are talking about many more people,” point out the same sources from the reception network.
Humanitarian aid to adults ends within a month and some of them fear that they will be left on the streets
State emergency program
In Spain, when an adult person is rescued on the Spanish coastis in a vulnerable situation and has no one who can take charge, the Government of Spain includes her in a Humanitarian Care program for one month, although in some exceptional cases it can be extended for longer. The Ministry of Inclusion and Migration finances accredited entities (such as the Red Cross, CEAR or Accem) in the various autonomous communities to provide these migrants with accommodation, food, hygiene, clothing, health and psychological care, legal advice and the possibility of contact your family or friends, among other basic needs.
The NGOs regularly receive migrants rescued on the coasts of Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Ceuta or Melilla, but the situation of collapse in the Canary Islands due to the arrival of boats is forcing them to expand the places. The entities have been looking for accommodation for weeks. “Each entity has gotten up to speed on our own, using pensions, hostels, agencies or other contacts with which we usually work,” they explain.
Coastal hotels
In Barcelona, hotels do not have availability. That is why entities are referring migrants to hotels on the coast that have more than 300 beds, in anticipation of new arrivals in the coming days. “They notify us a few days in advance and we go along,” say the NGOs, who pick up the migrants at the El Prat airport. For the moment, there has been no rejection or racist attacks from residents of the areas where they are rehoused. “But we don’t see that enthusiasm with the Ukrainians two years ago either.”
The work of the NGOs during this month of reception not only serves to cover basic needs, but also to guide them. “They have to rest and understand the possibilities they have in Spain. It will be very difficult for them to make a living in the underground economy because they do not have papers and They will not be able to access any social benefits. What is coming to them will be harshness,” lament sources from the humanitarian care system.
Those migrants who manage to process asylum within a month could benefit from the refugee plan and receive help for two years
In fact, many of them wonder what will become of them when this month of humanitarian reception ends. “There are people who don’t make it through the month. Others come to look for relatives or go to other cities in Spain or Europe where they have support networks. But yes, inevitably, there are always people who are left hanging“, lament the sources of care for migrants.
So far in 2023, the Generalitat has taken care of 1,400 minors. The figure does not include the 33 who arrived this month from the Canary Islands
Nor do migrants who boarded the boat fleeing a war conflict have it easy. For example from Mali or Sudan. The system to request asylum in Barcelona is collapsed and they will not be able to assist you during this month. If they did, yes they could take advantage of the Government’s refugee reception plan, which provides them with accommodation and social support for two years, in addition to a residence and work permit. Not having that option, many of them could end up sleeping on the street or falling into the hands of migrant exploitation networks.
Welcome for children
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Among the migrants arriving these days in the Canary Islands there are also minors – children and adolescents – who travel alone. The autonomous communities are obliged to provide shelter and protect them until they reach the age of majority. But the shelters in the Canary Islands are at their limit, with more than 4,000 minors welcomed in one month.. Last week, the Ministry of Social Rights agreed to transfer 380 children to the peninsula. In Catalonia, 33 have arrived, with financing of 1.8 million euros.
The Generalitat wants to review this system because Catalonia is the community that welcomes the most migrant children in the entire State, despite not being a territory of arrival of boats. Last year the Government took care of 2,400 unaccompanied migrant minors. So far in 2023, there have been 1,400.