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Cartagena Old Naval Hospital to be turned into migrant camp this week
The temporary holding centre for illegal migrants will be open until March 2024
The migrant camp on the esplanade of the Old Naval Hospital in Cartagena will be installed this Friday November 17 and will be operational until March 31, 2024 as confirmed by the Secretary of State for Migration, Isabel Castro, and the mayor of Cartagena, Noelia Arroyo.
This unused building is being converted into a temporary camp to hold illegal migrants who crossed into Spain from Africa after the Canary Islands were inundated with record numbers of refugees in the last month, forcing the government to ship them to other parts of Spain.
Cartagena’s mayor has reiterated her opposition to the scheme, which intends to make 14 of the temporary holding centres around mainland Spain into permanent reception centres. The Secretary of State for Migration has promised that Cartagena will not be among them.
Secretary of State Castro revealed that the camp will have a maximum capacity of 600 people, whose arrival will be staggered over the next month, with 120 arriving this week and two other groups of 240 people each being housed there before the end of November.
In response to questions from the mayor, the ministerial official stated that a security plan has been drawn up for the site, which will be reinforced with the installation of cameras around the perimeter and the contracting of private security.
The facility will be closed between 10pm and 10am, and during the rest of the time, those housed in the camp are allowed to leave the enclosure, although, according to the Ministry of Migration, in their experience from other facilities most people prefer to stay inside the enclosures attending activities organised by NGOs.
The length of stay usually varies between one week and 15 days, which is the time it takes for them to be reunited with their support networks, inside or outside Spain.
The Ministry has guaranteed that all basic services will be available during their stay and that there will be dining tents and sanitary modules.
The charity Accem is in charge of the reception of the migrants, welcoming them and ensuring they have everything they need to live comfortably and in humane conditions.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena
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