Spanish Opposition Pushes for Reforms to Address Canary Islands Migrant Crisis

The Canarian senator and PP spokesman in the upper house, Asier Antona, will propose on Wednesday a series of measures aimed at "offering solutions to the humanitarian drama experienced by the islands" invaded by more than 55,000 migrants over the past two years, reports EFE.

In detail, Antona will ask the government to undertake legislative reforms to facilitate the return of minors. He also proposes that the Conference of Presidents, which will meet on Sunday in La Palma, "fundamentally address the problem of migration". The party will demand in particular the application of "immediate return procedures", to the country of origin or transit, of migrants who have entered Spain illegally, in accordance with the bilateral agreements signed with third countries for the management of migratory flows.

The PP will also propose that these returns be carried out after the legal 72-hour detention period, and failing that, that minors be held for a maximum of 60 days, the time to complete the administrative formalities for their expulsion. It will also ask to set the maximum duration of stay of migrants in reception centers to "one year at most" and to respect the reception capacities of these centers. In this sense, it calls for the definition of criteria for "co-responsibility" in the care and reception of migrants.

Finally, the party will urge the Sanchez government to "increase diplomatic pressure on Morocco, and to provide more resources to effectively combat migrant trafficking." It will also suggest the reestablishment of the Delegated Migration Commission, composed of the ministries of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, Defense and Migration. Regarding Ceuta and Melilla, the PP will propose "the immediate return at the border of migrants who would try to enter Spain by force".