The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, on Friday criticized the government and the European Union for their “cynicism” towards the underage immigrants who arrive on the Canary Islands’ shores, who, in the regional leader’s opinion, receive different treatment than migrants and refugees from, for example, the European continent. “What’s wrong, they have a different color?” he asked in an interview on the Cope network.
“When the unfortunate war in Ukraine broke out, the government of Spain brought 150,000 Ukrainians to Spain“, began by giving an example to the president of the Canary Islands. “We saw the photo, the planes, the ministers in training…”, recalled Clavijo, in contrast to the dangerous journey that immigrant minors must make to reach the Canary Islands, where the overcrowded reception centers do not have the capacity to accommodate more migrants.
Precisely, last Monday, the Canarian leader asked NGOs to no longer accept without prior authorization from the community, alleging the high “level of saturation” of its facilities. He then defended that the migrant minors who arrive in the islands are in the custody of the State, which means that they are neither abandoned nor helpless. In response, the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, yesterday proposed two possible military spaces for the reception of minors.
However, the president of the Canary Islands was keen to highlight the “cynicism” of the government, as well as the European Union, towards these immigrants. “It’s as if The Spanish government acts according to where the information is located and where are the cameras and the projectors,” Clavijo harshly criticized, comparing not only the reception of 150,000 Ukrainian refugees on Spanish territory, but also that of Afghan refugees since the capture of Kabul by the Taliban. “It’s fantastic,” he said, before emphasizing that the treatment is now different.
“What’s wrong, they’re a different color? It’s hard to say, but is that why we look the other way when the bodies of boys and girls who didn’t make it through the journey arrive? Should we leave out the children who started with their parents and become orphans and see how they’re thrown overboard because they can’t complete the journey? It’s really very cynical. This seems to me to be the height of cynicism.” he denounced.
“We are unable to reach an agreement, the state government, which should lead, together with the autonomous communities, the relocation of these minors to guarantee the integration, schooling, adaptation, training of all these minors,” he said. estimated “at most” 16,000 immigrants. Instead, he continued, “we are able to commit to 150,000 Ukrainians, ten times more.”
