The islands currently host 2,756 minors, a figure that, although reduced, exceeds the community's ordinary capacity. This situation has led the Ministry of Social Welfare to plan the reorganization of the reception network, which involves the closure of some centers.
Minister Candelaria Delgado expressed surprise and displeasure upon learning through the press about the potential suspension of migrant minor transfers to the mainland, lamenting the lack of official communication. Despite her department holding a technical meeting with the ministry the previous day, the news became public without prior notice to the Canary government.
“"The most surprising thing is that ministers come to the Canary Islands without notifying the Canary government, without meeting with the Canary government, and then make statements in the press that affect the competencies of the Canary government, which is why, frankly, we do not understand it."
The law establishes the activation of a contingency situation when a community's reception capacity is tripled, setting a threshold of 2,211 minors for the Canary Islands. Given that the current figure exceeds this limit, the minister considers it crucial to discuss any decisions regarding the contingency, proposing a clear protocol for its deactivation and subsequent reactivation to avoid lengthy waiting periods during potential resurgences.
As a consequence of the reduced migratory pressure, the closure of two centers in Fuerteventura will be confirmed: Ayagaures and Ancor, managed by the Asociación Solidaria Mundo Nuevo. Low occupancy, with 9 minors in a 24-capacity center and 16 in another with 25, has led to current contracts being deemed "unsustainable".
The CC.OO. union has protested these closures, demanding the subrogation and maintenance of employment for the 42 affected workers. Minister Delgado rejected the request, arguing that these are emergency contracts and that employee management falls to the contracting company, deeming the demand for absorption into public service "illogical" and "unrealistic".
Delgado recalled that while the guardianship of minors falls to the Government of the Canary Islands, residential care is the responsibility of the island councils. The regional intervention was due to the emergency situation, and responsibility will return to the island councils once the situation stabilizes below the contingency threshold.
Comisiones Obreras has denounced the "enormous social and labor impact" of the closures, demanding a solution that guarantees care for the minors and job security, warning of the harm that relocation causes to adolescents regarding their school, social, and healthcare ties.
