The staggering surge in migration being experienced in the Canary Islands is once again overwhelming the migrant reception centres, as demonstrated by the fact that around 120 people, who have survived the Canarian route, one of the deadliest in the world as confirmed by the United Nations, are having to sleep in the garages at the National Police Station in the south of Tenerife.
It's not the first time that something like this has happened due to the high numbers of irregular migrants arriving in boats to Los Cristianos, as just last week, nearly 200 people also spent the night in the same garages, while another hundred had to sleep outdoors on the Los Cristianos dock as there was nowhere for them to go.
It must be acknowledged that the slowness of the Ministry del Interior in sending migrants to the Spanish mainland contrasts with the deficient management by the Canary Islands regional government regarding unaccompanied minors.
Most regions have merely gone through the motions by agreeing to take on a quota of unaccompanied minors at the state summit on Wednesday, an allocation undoubtedly insufficient to ease the burden on the Canary Islands.
Only 378 unaccompanied minors will be transferred to mainland Spain, at a time when the total average of arrivals exceeds 500 people per day. The effects on services for the island's residents continue to be felt, as confirmed by the spokesperson of the Spanish Police Confederation (CEP), José Luis Gallardo, when asked about it:
"It is true that by diverting staff to assist these people, we once again find ourselves with an insufficient number of patrol cars in such essential services as public safety," he said.
Furthermore, he emphasized the need to allocate more personnel to the National Police assigned to the province of Tenerife in order to cope with this incessant influx of human beings fleeing poverty and/or war in search of a better future.
