Nearly 40,000 people have already arrived, sailing in canoes that have completed the journey (it is not known how many have not), from the coasts of Senegal and Mauritania so far this year. A period of calm at sea and, above all, the growing political and economic tensions in the countries of origin, have caused a increase in arrivals which takes us to the levels of a particularly intense year such as 2006. An aseptic “rebound” for the Government, a “wave” for those who prefer to sound the border alarms. In any case, a complicated situation for those who risk their lives at sea and for the host communities, especially the islands. Canary Islandsdestination of the most active migratory route (followed by the one that goes from Algeria to the Balearic Islands) since bilateral relations between Spain and Morocco keep the traditional Strait route under more effective restrictions.
That the arrivals have even included islands with a limited reception margin, such as the iron It leaves no other option, from the first moment, than the co-responsible distribution of the newcomers among all the autonomous communities: the example of what happened on some Greek islands cannot now be repeated in the Canary Islands. If we take as reference a similar episode like that of 2006, tensions arose even then due to the irregular distribution of immigrants. It was to be expected that in a context of greater territorial misgivings (although less than those of five, four or three years ago, which even contaminated the actions in response to the covid crisis) and with the emergence of an extreme right movement that makes fear of immigration one of its reasons for being, arose complaints about the number of immigrants referred to each community. Some have already done it, like Madridin Catalonia The victimist discourse has occurred although it now circulates through increasingly marginal networks and Santiago Abascal has not missed the opportunity to demand that the communities and city councils with PP-Vox pacts refuse to accept shipments of immigrants from the Canary Islands, all the more so to put them in an uncomfortable situation. their already uncomfortable government partners that because this option has the slightest signs of becoming a reality. The figures, however, paint a reasonable picture, with the hosting communities based on their demographic weight respective (Andalusia, Catalonia, Madrid and the Valencian Community, in this order) and waiting for variations based on objective circumstances, such as the possibility of having military land to increase reception capacity, as will happen especially in Madrid and Murcia.
But this is as far as immediate reception is concerned. Then things get complicated. The return of immigrants That they are not in a vulnerable situation promises to be controversial within the government coalition itself: the internationally recognized right of asylum is sacred, but in a continent in general crisis the reasons that lead to jumping into the sea are often indistinguishable. And the saturation of reception centers has led to shortening the stay times (which can be limited to just one month): leaving people who are not going to be expelled out in the open without having acquired the minimum resources to find their way in our country is an option to avoid: It is neither human nor responsible.