Children run along the beach as people look over the sea into the haze created by a sand storm known locally as "La Calima" in Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, February 23, 2020. Reuters / Russell Boyce
Madrid: Spain's Canary Islands feel "abandoned" as irregular migrant arrivals smash records and the political class lacks "solidarity", the region's leader said in an interview published on Monday.
Reception centres in the Atlantic archipelago are straining to host tens of thousands of migrants who arrive from west Africa after a perilous journey in often ramshackle boats.
The left-wing national government and the regional administrations -- many run by the conservative opposition -- have failed to agree on a plan to share the burden.
"We feel abandoned and alone," the archipelago's leader Fernando Clavijo told daily newspaper El Mundo.
"It is the first time under democracy that a territory in an emergency situation is suffering a lack of solidarity from the government of Spain, which does not take on its obligations," but also from the regions, he added.
A total of 46,843 migrants reached the Canaries in 2024, breaking the annual record for the second year running.
The national government is responsible for handling adult migrants, but regions must care for unaccompanied minors.
The Socialist administration in Madrid is planning a one-off transfer of around 5,000 unaccompanied minors throughout Spain to overcome the political impasse, but the scheme is yet to be approved.
"The problem of immigration will not be solved at its source. This is a humanitarian tragedy inherent to humanity," Clavijo told El Mundo.
"What we need is that it can be managed rationally and with respect for human rights."
