Congress calls for the deployment of Frontex in the Canary Islands and rejects a motion against “migration concessions” to Junts

Eduardo González The plenary session of the Congress approved this Thursday a motion presented by the People's Party (PP) group calling for "the immediate deployment of Frontex personnel to the Canary Islands route to support the State Security Forces in managing the migration crisis." The approved text is actually part of a much broader motion by the PP Group on "the concessions the Government has just made regarding immigration and borders." Specifically, in this motion, the PP denounced the agreement between the PSOE and Junts per Catalunya to "delegate state powers over immigration to Catalonia in the terms expressed in the bill registered by both groups," referring to the Organic Law Proposal delegating state powers over immigration and transferring border control to the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. In the PP's opinion, "trading border control and migration flows is unprecedented, something that does not occur in any country in our European Union region" and that goes "against the European Pact on Migration and Asylum and the new Control Regulation." Despite this, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, "in order to remain in government for a few more months," has given in to "blackmail" by Junts "by seven votes to the detriment of the national security of all citizens." The motion included a total of five points: the rejection of the agreement between the PSOE and Junts (Junts), the promotion of an "orderly migration policy comparable to those of the major European powers, based on the Agreement to address the migration crisis offered by the People's Party to the Government," coordination with European authorities to combat trafficking groups and prevent the "pull effect," compliance with the European framework on migration and asylum, specifically the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, and requesting the immediate deployment of Frontex to the Canary Islands route. Ultimately, the motion was voted on point by point, of which only one was approved. Thus, the finally approved text urges the Government to "request the immediate deployment of Frontex personnel to the Canary Islands route to support the State Law Enforcement Agencies in managing the migration crisis, including the gathering of intelligence on migrant smuggling networks and the implementation of the Action Plan on the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic Routes." Frontex in the Canary Islands On December 30, the Ministry of the Interior informed the PP, in a parliamentary response, that the Government and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) are currently carrying out four joint operations in the national territory, including the Joint Operation in the Canary Islands (JO CANARY ISLAND) to "provide technical and operational assistance to the Government of Spain" in managing migration in the archipelago. Since 2020, the Ministry headed by Fernando Grande-Marlaska continued, the Spanish Government has emphasized "the need for Frontex support for maritime surveillance of the African Atlantic coast, especially the coasts of Mauritania, Gambia, and Senegal, from where the largest number of boats depart for the Canary Islands." To achieve this, he warned, "Frontex must have executive powers in countries of origin and transit of irregular migration, and to date it has not reached any agreement with any African country from which the boats arriving in the Canary Islands depart." Furthermore, the Spanish Government has insisted "on the need to concentrate efforts on prevention, since the causes of the increase in arrivals to the Canary Islands are not in Spain, but in the countries of origin and transit of irregular immigration." Therefore, the Ministry of the Interior explained, "it is necessary to focus preventive efforts on these countries," as "has been repeatedly requested of the Commission and the Frontex Agency, which faces significant limitations in its capacity for preventive action."

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