The Diplomat
The Senate has urged the Government this Tuesday to prepare and present to the plenary session of the Upper House an action plan to deal with the collaboration with the countries of origin, transit and departure of migrants who arrive irregularly to Spain.
The motion, presented by the People’s Parliamentary Group and approved by the Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee by 18 votes in favour, nine against and one abstention, recalls that the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, visited three countries in West Africa at the end of August, Mauritania, Gambia and Senegal, to strengthen collaboration with those countries in the fight against irregular migration.
“The dates of the trip coincided with a time of strong increase in the arrival of cayucos to the Canary Islands and the growing concern of the Spanish about irregular immigration,” the text continues.
“We are in favour of the arrival of immigrants, who are necessary in many sectors of our economy, but in an orderly, regulated and controlled manner” and, to do so, “we understand that cooperation with the countries of origin of irregular migrants is essential,” says the PP.
“These visits, like the one referred to by Sánchez, do not go beyond the signing of memoranda, which are mere declarations of intent, and some specific action, but they do not address with rigour, planning and effectiveness this situation that endangers the lives of migrants, that increases the mafias that traffic with their lives and that generates concern in the population,” it continues.
According to the motion, collaboration with the countries of origin, transit and departure of migrants “requires short and medium term planning that is presented to Parliament, that is debated and approved by it and that thus acquires the category of a state policy that lasts over time.”
The Senate therefore “urges the government to prepare and present to the full House an action plan to address collaboration with the countries of origin, transit, and departure of migrants who arrive in Spain irregularly, with the aim of regulating, organizing, and controlling the arrival of migrants from those countries.”
