A proposal from the Spanish government to utilise an abandoned airport to accommodate thousands of immigrants has been met with significant disapproval from local politicians, with some likening the plan to the controversial Guantánamo detention camp. It appears that the Socialist-led government under Pedro Sánchez aims to repurpose Ciudad Real airport in the Castilla-La Mancha region, around 160km south of Madrid, as a temporary residence for migrants.
Originally, the airport had been built to manage the excess of flights from Madrid. However, its construction was completed in 2008, totalling €1.1 billion, just as a new terminal was made available for Madrid airport. Ciudad Real airport was only operational for a sparse three years and has stood unused since following the eurozone crisis, a potent symbol of the wastefulness of the economic boom.
The Spanish government is under pressure to find suitable housing for the over 45,000 undocumented immigrants arriving in Spain this year, the majority of whom have travelled from Africa to the Canary Islands. Until their legal status is finalised, these individuals require accommodation.
Elma Saiz, the minister for inclusion, social security and immigration, clarified that no definitive decision has been reached regarding the conversion of the airport. She emphasized the preliminary nature of these plans.
Local politicians have voiced their strong objections to the potential scheme. Miguel Ángel Ruiz, the conservative mayor of the nearby city of Puertollano, decried the idea as not only ridiculous but also exceedingly insulting. He criticized the proposal for seeking to turn a facility that was initially intended as a symbol of progress and development into a segregation zone for immigrants. Mr Ruiz warned of the potential creation of a “Guantánamo of Castilla-La Mancha”, alluding to the infamous American detention camp in Cuba for terrorism suspects.
The conservative Mayor of Ciudad Real, Francisco Cañizares, positioned only 12km from the airport, compared the government’s proposal to host 3,000 migrants at the airport to setting up “an enclosure for immigrants”. The quote sparks controversy, as does the government’s suggestion.
The idea has even been challenged from within Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez’s own political faction, the Socialist Party. The region of Castilla-La Mancha’s Socialist President, Emiliano García-Page, expressed his displeasure, describing the proposal as a disgrace and suggesting the airport would essentially be transformed into a refugee shelter. He criticised the central government for not consulting him on the matter.
The debate has flared up at a time when Prime Minister Sánchez has been firmly supporting what he views as a compassionate stance on immigration, whilst disapproving the practice of deporting migrants outside their jurisdiction – a policy Italy has begun to enforce. “We Spaniards are the offspring of migrants,” he stated to the Spanish parliament. “We will not become the progenitors of xenophobia.”