Earthquake Aftermath: Spain Braces for Potential Surge in Moroccan Migration

The civil guards of Almeria have been alerting for years about a flood of migrants and have constantly asked the government delegate for a strengthening of human, material and health resources. "These migrants could be very useful in a country in need of labor. What we observe is that people have to wait two years in clandestinity and in deplorable living and working conditions, before obtaining a residence or stay permit," Víctor Vega, provincial secretary of the Almería section of the Unified Association of the Civil Guard (AUGC), told The Objective.

Last week, the Andalusian government delegate, Pedro Fernández, congratulated the Civil Guard of Almería for its effective action on the Andalusian coast "where the largest number of boats arrive", which has so far prevented waves of migrants. This is a "scandal", denounced the AUGC following these remarks from the delegate, recalling having asked several times to meet the sub-delegation and the delegation of the government of Almeria on this subject. Without success. The civil guards of Almeria have lost hope after three years of fighting to improve their working conditions and the care of migrants.

After the deadly earthquake of September 8 in Morocco, many Moroccan nationals could decide to regain the Spanish coasts aboard pateras. Generally, four to eight boats carrying migrants arrive at the same time on the Andalusian beaches. The civil guards, lacking in staff, are unable to contain these massive arrivals of migrants. Also, for lack of adequate means, they fail to intercept these boats which can reach a speed of 60 knots (about 110 km/h).

"It is clear that we need an immigration policy, that the various ministries do their job with the countries of origin of the migrants. We need to increase the number of places in detention centers, speed up deportation and repatriation procedures, because it is only in this way that we will be able to curb and support legal and orderly immigration, linked to employability, as our legal system requires and what is reasonable," said the mayor of El Ejido on this issue. Vega also fears an influx of migrants from Libya, after the floods in Derna that have already killed more than 11,300 people.