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ARCHIVED - Murcia police completely overwhelmed by biggest influx of migrants this summer
It’s hoped that the new CATE migrant reception centre in Cartagena will ease the pressure
An unprecedented influx of migrant boats on the coast of the Region of Murcia this summer has pushed police forces to their limit, a situation which will hopefully be alleviated somewhat by the opening of a new temporary reception centre in Cartagena.
Members of the National Police and Guardia Civil have this week reported being “overwhelmed” and “overloaded” in the face of the growing increase in irregular immigration; just last weekend, almost 300 people landed on Murcian shores, several of whom were minors requiring special attention, the single “largest wave of small boats this summer.”
With more than 250 lineal kilometres of coastline, it’s virtually impossible for the current troops to intercept every arrival, and the Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) has demanded “more troops to track the coast” and monitor the incoming migrants.
A clear example of this overextension was witnessed on Saturday September 10 in Águilas, when officers were inundated with dozens of migrants landing on the coast, while at the same time having to closely guard three other detainees. With the current number of boats arriving in Murcian waters, Juan García Montalbán, secretary general of the AUGC, estimates that an additional two patrols are required for each shift just to monitor the coastal municipalities of Mazarrón, Águilas, San Javier and Cabo de Palos.
Something which should ease the pressure is the new Temporary Attention Centre for Foreigners (CATE) of El Espalmador, which is due to open in Cartagena this week and will be capable of housing 440 migrants.
Touring the facility, local delegate, José Vélez, admitted that it is “impossible to maintain” the conditions which police officers are currently forced to work under. Earlier this summer, several National Police agents complained that the existing migrant centres were overcrowded and filthy, with most people living in unimaginable squalor.
Mr Vélez reiterated that the CATE is a temporary solution and that a permanent residence will be established for the migrants within a year, or sooner if possible.
“Under no circumstances are we here to annoy or disturb anyone, on the contrary, we are here to do everything in our power to save lives, for now in this location and, later, in the final area agreed upon, on the slopes of Mount Galeras,” he concluded.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena
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