The People’s Party is stepping up its demands on immigration policy. In full negotiations with the government to agree on the reform of the immigration lawto alleviate the “never before seen” crisis in the Canaries, the general secretary of the PP demanded that Moncloa “activate the “European Relocation Mechanism” for some of the unaccompanied minors that the islands welcome.
“We do not understand why the government of Pedro Sanchez does not have a comprehensive immigration policy, as the PP proposes,” he said. Cuca Gamarra. “The European Commission has already stated that it has resources for Spain and that it knows that the Canary Islands need them, but that it is the Spanish executive who must ask for them.”
Number two of Alberto Nuñez Feijóo made these statements during an informative breakfast, during which he presented Manolo DominguezCanarian vice-president and leader of the island PP. For Gamarra, it seems obvious that La Moncloa is “more interested in the overthrow of the Canarian government”which is formed by a coalition of the Canarian Coalition (CC) and the Popular, “even if it costs the stability of the islands”.
Of the same opinion, although even more direct, Domínguez, architect of the agreement signed by Feijóo and Fernando Clavijo, president of the islands and leader of the CC.
“We have never experienced this crisis in Spain. It is not just about the thousands of unaccompanied minors or the tens of thousands of irregular migrants,” he said, “it is also about Every 54 minutes, someone dies trying to reach our shores“. Therefore, for Domínguez, “no one can understand why the President of the Government remains determined to confront the autonomous communities and break the government pact in the Canary Islands“.
And all this at the expense of the Canaries and, even worse, of those who risk and lose their lives to reach our shores.
For the popular Canarian leader, Even the pact currently being negotiated is not enough. “If there was already an agreement, if we were already transferring minerals to other Autonomous Communities, would we have avoided the tragedy of the island of El Hierro?”, he asked, in reference to the sinking last weekend, in which nine people died and lost their lives. around fifty others disappeared in the waters of the Atlantic.
“Even with this political pact we would not have avoided it,” Domínguez said, “because it is necessary an effective policy that prevents these people from continuing to leave and risk their lives at sea.” For this reason, he insisted, “we implore help from the State.”
Gamarra and the president of the Canarian PP insisted on accusing the government of Pedro Sanchez of abandonment by their own policies and also by their decisions, with regard to the European Union. “We are devastated, We only ask to be treated as Spaniards and considered as Europeans.“, emphasized Domínguez.
“They are looking for culprits and not solutions. But, ¿“Why don’t they activate EU resources?” Gamarra asked. “It’s not just about the distribution of minors, it’s a deeper and broader issue.”
The popular leader demands “the urgent need to declare an immigration emergencyso that the Autonomous Communities and Town Halls can urgently contract the necessary services, which are already overwhelmed. »And to ask for help from the EU. “We don’t understand why this isn’t being done. Frontex offers these resources for the Atlantic“, because he activated them in the Mediterranean when necessary”, as in recent months, at the request of Italy and Greece. “But the Spanish government ignores this.”
Among those present at the breakfast organized in Madrid by Europa Press was the spokesperson for the PP in Congress, Miguel Telladoresponsible for negotiations with Angel Victor TorresMinister of Territorial Policy. They were two of the four participants in last Monday’s meeting, with the Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Régoand the president of the islands, Clavijo.
Domínguez denounced that “NGOs say they can’t take it anymore, we have more than 81 centers with overcrowded minors, there are no resources or professionals to take care of a greater number of ‘children”, We’ve reached the limit…and they keep coming“. The island vice-president was very graphic: “I could give you the figures I received this morning, but after this breakfast, they would be lies.”
For this reason, Gamarra insisted on the need for “global immigration”. As he pointed out, this offer from the PP to the government “has been on the table” for months and especially since the signing of the pact between Feijóo and Clavijo, a month ago in Tenerife. “But Sánchez looks away and ignores this humanitarian emergencywhereas all you need to do is add your signature.
Against “the independence quota”
Domínguez was not the first member of the Canary Islands government to suggest, in his case, to assert, that Moncloa is more interested in destroying the agreement between CC and PP. President Clavijo already spoke about it last week in the island’s Parliament. “But they will not succeed, because the stability we bring to the islands is a competitive advantage in the face of central government instability“, I said with some mockery.
“But just as we are concerned about the miners, whom Sánchez uses as pawns, we are also concerned about the image we give abroad.” The islands are synonymous with sun, beaches, volcanoes and rest, he recalled, “and We don’t want to be the biggest cemetery in Europebecause 40% of jobs are due to tourism, and 35% of our direct GDP too.”
Already on economic issues, the vice-president of the island openly opposed Moncloa’s proposals on the reform of regional financing. “We do not accept debt reliefbecause they are useless and because we have no debt,” he said, “nor do we accept unilateral negotiations what the central government wants.
And finally, Domínguez raised his voice to indignation: “We do not want preferential treatment, it is enough for them to recognize our Autonomous Community as underfunded, and Do not try to compare our economic and tax regime with the independence quota“.
According to the popular Canarian leader, “This skill is a right, not a privilege. And these statements from the vice president Maria Jesus Montero What has shaken is scandalous, but what is even more worrying is that it is clear that we are far from the interests of central government.
