- EDITIONS: Spanish News Today Murcia Today Alicante Today
ARCHIVED - 132 irregular migrants intercepted in Almeria as warm weather encourages crossings
Migrant boats are frequently intercepted off the coasts of Andalusia as African migrants try to enter Spain by sea
The Guardia Civil intercepted 40 illegal migrants in the 24-hour period between Tuesday and Wednesday in a series of small boats in waters close to the coast of Almería and located another 92 who had managed to reach dry land, Interior Ministry sources have reported.
Most of the migrants were found between Almería city and Carboneras. The group included men, women and minors of Moroccan North African and sub-Saharan origins, who have all been transferred to the CATE migrant transit centre in Almeria fishing port.
Commonly known in Spanish as ‘pateras’, small boats packed with illegal migrants from Africa reach Andalusian waters on a regular basis. The Guardia Civil generally intercept the vessels before, or shortly after, they reach land and before taking them to the Red Cross for PCR testing and medical checkovers before they are sent to temporary migrant centres for repatriation. However, migrants have the right to request asylum and cannot be expelled from the country until their cases are resolved, which can cause considerable delays and severe overcrowding at the centres as their cases are investigated.
If they do request asylum then it has to be proven that they have good reason for the request, which requires proving their country of origin. Most of the Moroccan nationals intercepted are denied asylum, as in most cases, these are proven to be economic migrants, seeking work in Spain.
This is in itself problematic, as irregular migrants are frequently exploited and can only find low-paid irregular work as illegal migrants are not permitted to work legally in Spain.
In recent months there has been a marked growth in the number of attacks on the ramshackle migrant camps which have sprung up in areas where illegal work is to be found, mainly in the agricultural sector; in the last few weeks three camps have been set on fire, and in all cases, arson is suspected.
Image: Archive.