The Ministry of Defence responded to the Consell de Mallorca that the lands of Son Tous are transferred to the Government of the Balearic Islands and that, therefore, the request for use of the space must be made in this area of responsibility.
This is how the ministry responded this Wednesday to the request made by the president of the Consell de Mallorca, Llorenc Galmeswho sent a formal request to the Ministry of Defense to transfer part of the Son Tous space for the temporary and emergency reception of unaccompanied migrant minors.
As the ministry recalled in a press release, andIn 2013, a general concession was signed for the former Son Tous barracks to the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands, which was subsequently extended until 2033.
Likewise, he assured that in the face of the migration crisis, the Ministry of Defense is working and providing properties that allow the necessary reception in accordance with the law.
The response comes after the Consell de Mallorca sent a formal request this morning to the Ministry of Defence for this organisation to cede part of the Son Tous space for the temporary and emergency reception of unaccompanied migrant minors.
President Galmés already expressed in the last Conference of Presidents that “the situation that we are living and suffering today in our country is limitless, we cannot accept more unaccompanied minor immigrants, as is our responsibility by law.”
This request responds to the arrival forecasts managed by the Majorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) for the last months of the year. It should be recalled that from September to December 2023, 106 arrivals of unaccompanied migrant minors were recorded, which suggests that the coming months will be complicated in this regard, given that the trend during 2024 was a sharp increase from one year to the next.
The Consell de Mallorca considers the old Son Tous barracks as the most suitable space for the installation of a temporary and emergency resource, such as tents, to have the capacity to accommodate unaccompanied migrant minors given the expected increase in arrivals in the rest of the country. year.
The adequacy of the space, in addition to its layout, is given because it is there that the UCRIF, the National Police Unit responsible for investigating criminal activities, national and transnational, related to human trafficking and irregular immigration, provides the first attention to unaccompanied migrant minors who arrive in Mallorca.
“The childcare system in Mallorca is overwhelmed. We need more spaces, more economic resources, technical help and more support from the central government,” Galmés said recently.
At present, IMAS serves 310 unaccompanied migrant minorswhich represents 54% of the total number of minors in the island’s residential system. In addition, he pointed out that his own centres suffer from 40% overcrowding. Faced with this situation, the president of the Consell de Mallorca announced that emergency housing solutions, such as tents, will have to be resorted to if the space is not immediately transferred by the central executive.
During the Conference of Presidents, Llorenç Galmés has already requested the declaration of a state of emergency in Mallorca to speed up the administrative procedures necessary to be able to respond quickly and effectively to the arrival of unaccompanied minors.
The president of the island institution stressed that so far this year 202 minors have already arrived unaccompanied minors on the island, surpassing last year’s figures, and forecasts indicate that their number could exceed 300 before the end of the year. This is an increase of more than 300% compared to 2021, a year that marked a turning point in the arrival of migrant minors. President Galmés regretted that “this fact generates unsustainable tensions in the resources and reception centers of the island.”
