Posted on 09/13/2006 6:40:43 PM PDT by blam
Spain puts migrants on flights to Africa
By Fiona Govan in Madrid
(Filed: 14/09/2006)
Spain has begun to send home thousands of illegal immigrants who reached the Canary Islands. The repatriations are part of the government's attempt to stop Africans getting to its shores.
The first in a series of flights was expected to leave the islands last night for Dakar, Senegal. The would-be immigrants will then be taken to a police station for processing before release.
Illegal immigrants after arriving in Gran Canaria
Senegalese form the majority of the 23,000 migrants who this year have made the journey in small wooden fishing boats from the coast of north-west Africa to the Spanish archipelago. Thousands more are thought to have died making the voyage.
The influx surged over the summer prompting Madrid to announce last week that it would tolerate no more.
Previous efforts at mass repatriation have failed because African migrants arrive without identification and refuse to admit their nationalities. Under Spanish law those who cannot be sent home are released to live illegally in Spain after 40 days' detention.
But Spain has decided to identify Senegalese citizens by their accents and facial features, as recognised by the Senegalese authorities.
Jesus Caldera, the labour and social affairs minister, confirmed that repatriations were taking place but refused to comment on the details, saying the Senegalese authorities had requested they be carried out with "discretion".
A previous attempt to fly Senegalese migrants home collapsed in May amid protests that it breached international human rights conventions.
Those repatriated on that occasion complained that Spain had lied to them, telling them the flight was taking them to the mainland.
It was unclear yesterday whether those being repatriated knew their destination.
One down, one to go...
I'll bet they're not Muslim migrants, however.
Send them away, Muslim or not, they are illegals.
But they love us, Islam is THE RELIGION OF PEACE !......
I knew it was predominant, but not at 90%. Even so, I could imagine the non-Muslims would need look no further than the Sudan to know their safety was tenuous at best, and flight was of the essence.
I'd be sympathetic to non-Muslims who desired sanctuary in Spain, although this article doesn't speak to that.
Transporting a few thousand is not the same as a dozen million.
Ship em to Detroit, Dearborn..Michiganistan. sarc
Spain folded. Britain took a bombing and they had the cajones to stay the course.
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