The PSOE advocates increasing cooperation funds for the African countries from which immigration originates, in order to tackle the issue and assist those who eventually arrive in Spain, as the Government has been doing in recent years, according to a statement made on Tuesday by the Socialist candidate seeking re-election as MP for Las Palmas, Luc André Diouf.
In response to immigration from Africa, «what needs to be done is to continue our efforts in development cooperation, increasing funding and also enabling people to develop personally and professionally in their countries of origin. The Government is working on this,» stated the PSOE candidate before attending a meeting in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with representatives of the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR).
The PSOE’s federal secretary for migration, who is of Senegalese origin, has stated that migrants «will continue to arrive», whilst maintaining that efforts are being made in the right direction to address the issue, despite the fact that the flow of boats heading for the Canary Islands has intensified in recent weeks.
Canary Islands: Diouf is committed to cooperation with West Africa
Diouf has attributed this to the fact that this time of year «is also a good time to set sail» due to the sea and weather conditions in this part of the Atlantic.
In this regard, he pointed out that «the cooperation between Spain and the countries of West Africa is bearing fruit; they are also putting a stop to the arrival of the cayucos».
Underage migrants: Diouf condemns mistreatment in facilities
In response to questions from journalists, Luc André Diouf also referred to the cases of abuse and other instances of neglect reported in centres housing migrant children who have arrived in the Canary Islands, which he described as «regrettable incidents».
«Because the so-called 'weakest' members of the migrant community cannot be treated in this way,» declared the candidate for the Las Palmas constituency, adding: «We must look after these children and care for them in the most appropriate way. What we have seen is deplorable and reprehensible.»
Reception centres: Diouf refutes Clavijo's warning about overcrowding
When asked about the criticism levelled by the head of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo, regarding the handling of those arriving irregularly from Africa under Pedro Sánchez’s administration, he replied: «I heard the President of the Canary Islands, from Coalición Canaria, say the other day that we were going to face a situation of overcrowding. That is not true.»
Because «when we (the Socialists) came to power in Spain in 2019, there were very few reception centres», but «there is now a network here providing support for migrants, which is not currently overwhelmed», he said.
He added that the archipelago receives the necessary financial resources from the State to care for these Africans and that, to prevent them from becoming concentrated on the islands, «what the President of the Canary Islands Government must do is hold the PP, with whom he is in government, to account, so that these migrants can be redistributed» to other parts of the country.
In his view, this measure would prevent the centres housing them across the archipelago from becoming overcrowded.
CEAR calls for the legally sound implementation of the European Pact on Migration
Luc André Diouf spoke alongside Juan Carlos Lorenzo, the head of the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid in the Canary Islands, who reiterated his organisation’s call to the political parties standing in this month’s general election to «implement the European Pact on Migration and Asylum in a way that safeguards rights; yet, to this day, is shrouded in a degree of uncertainty regarding how it should be applied».
This call forms the centrepiece of a ten-point set of proposals on immigration and political asylum that CEAR has put forward to the political parties standing in the elections, asking them to incorporate it into their election manifestos, something the PSOE has already done with several of its proposals, according to Diouf.
Referring to this ten-point plan, Juan Carlos Lorenzo has pointed out that, at CEAR, «basically, what we are aiming for is to avoid situations of regression. We are at a very delicate juncture, not only with regard to the narrative and public and political discourse, but also with regard to the measures that may result from what I would describe as a less-than-protective implementation of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum».
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