The Government of Castile-La Mancha was surprised this Monday that the central government wants to use the facilities of the Ciudad Real airport as an Emergency Reception and Orientation Center (CEAD) for immigrants, as it claims, without notice. An extreme that the government spokesperson denied this Tuesday, Pilar Alegriaaffirming that this decision “is normal” and that the government of Pedro Sánchez contacted the Castilian-Manchego executive to “explain the procedure”, without specifying when it did so.
Sources from the government of Castile-La Mancha denied Alegría’s explanations and clarified that, contrary to what the minister-spokesperson insinuated, it was the Minister of Social Protection, Bárbara García Torijano, who contacted the State Migration Secretariat, which confirmed the Government’s plans as soon as they became known to the media. “We called as soon as we found out and, sure enough, we don’t agree on anything», transmitted these same sources from the Executive led by Emiliano García-Page.
During a press conference following the Council of Ministers, the government spokesperson, however, reiterated that these conversations were part of “a climate of absolute collaborative work and dialogue» and that, “as it could not be otherwise”, he insisted, “we always speak with all the administrations”. In this sense, and after the uproar caused by this news, Alegría crossed out the “artificial and unreal” controversy and highlighted that the central government is evaluating “hundreds of sites”, such as Ciudad Real airport, to “relieve” the migratory pressure that the Canary Islands are currently experiencing.
In any case, the ministry headed by Elma Saiz has already reached an agreement with CRIA, the company that owns the airportto use its facilities, although neither the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha nor the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration have provided more information on the number of immigrants that the airport of La Mancha could accommodate or on possible dates. That same Tuesday, the mayor of Ciudad Real, Francisco Cañizares (PP), estimated up to 3,000 immigrants that the airfield could accommodate.
Ministry sources justified this decision to EFE by alleging that, currently, the said airport has a “marginal” use. Although the feasibility of the project is still being studied, the construction and installation of barracks has already been ordered to begin housing immigrants who would settle in these facilities. Concretely, it would be a temporary center to welcome adults arriving from the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Murcia, Almería or Alicante.
Rejection by the authorities of Castile-La Mancha
The mayor of Puertollano (Ciudad Real), Miguel Ángel Ruiz, expressed his “indignation” after learning of the “alleged proposal” of the Spanish government to transform the Ciudad Real airport into a reception center for immigrants, this Who has been compared to the “Guantanamo of La Mancha”.
In a statement sent by the Popular Party, the mayor affirms that “not only is what the government is proposing an absurd idea, but it is also an unacceptable crime, both in the sense that it transforms a facility that was once designed as the flag of progress and development of our province in a ghetto for immigrants.
Ruiz thus joins the rejection of other Castilian-La Mancha authorities such as the mayor of Ciudad Real or the president of the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García Page.
