Migrant boats stored in Mallorca

Marga Prohens with the mayors of Ses Salines and Santanyi. | MDB

Andrew EdeSantanyi05/01/2023 08:58
TW
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The main opposition party in the Balearics, the Partido Popular, as well as the mayors of Ses Salines and Santanyi, have criticised what they say is the neglect of the regional and Spanish governments in respect of managing migration from Algeria. Town hall representatives point out that dozens of boats have arrived in recent weeks, that they remain and are then "forgotten".

Santanyi's mayor, Maria Pons, says that there are over forty boats "piled up" in the municipal warehouse. She adds that Santanyi doesn't have specific Guardia Civil presence; this is shared with Campos and Ses Salines. Juan Rodríguez, the mayor of Ses Salines and, like Pons, a member of the PP, highlights the problem of what to do with the boats, which "are themselves hazardous waste, in addition to the fuel cans and other kinds of waste that are left on the beaches and which town halls have to remove".

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On Wednesday, the leader of the PP in the Balearics, Marga Prohens, demanded more state security forces (Guardia Civil and National Police) to control the waves of boats that have been arriving. "The socialist governments of Pedro Sánchez and Francina Armengol must change their immigration policy in order to put an end to this human drama."

Prohens was particularly critical of a breakdown in diplomatic relations with Algeria (over Spain's policy regarding Western Sahara), something which she believes has contributed to recent waves of migrants. Repatriation from Spain to Algeria has stopped because of this breakdown.