Illegal immigration is “under control”

PALMA
THE President of the International Police Association (IPA) in the Balearics, Vicente Tamarit, announced yesterday that the illegal immigration situation in the Balearics “is under control”, although he did remark that hundreds of people from other countries could enter every day via the ports and airports.

Tamarit was speaking after the inauguration of the First Conference of Police Techniques for Illegal Immigration, organised by the Balearic and Navarra IPAs. Jaume Matas, the leader of the Balearic Government, was present, as was the Mayor of Palma, Catalina Cirer.

The head of this association, which has members in 62 countries, confirmed that not all foreigners who come to the islands are illegal immigrants, although he did not give precise figures.

In any case, Tamarit was positive about this matter, and said he valued the role of the Balearic Ministry of Immigration, as the police can refer to them when they don't know what to do with illegal immigrants in the area.

This conference is to discuss ideas about how to manage the problem of illegal immigration. This is a question which, according to Matas, “does not constitute such a problem for the islands as it does for the Canary Islands and the Andalucian coast”, although he did say that the islands have a “significant percentage” of people living here in an illegal situation.

This problem, he said, “is worse when you consider that the migratory movement has not really been planned”, referring to “certain political actions” which, in his judgement, “has caused an avalanche of millions of people” coming to Spain and has prevented the assimilation of immigrants as a “positive regeneration and a cultural enrichment”.