New Migrant Detention Strategies in Spain: Short-Term Assistance Centres and Internment Centres for Foreign Nationals

• Author: Diego Boza Martínez - Dévika Pérez Medina
• Position: Lecturer (Profesor Ayudante Doctor) in Criminal Law, University of Cadiz, Member of the INDESS (Instituto Universitario para el Desarrollo Social Sostenible), Universidad de Cádiz, Spain. - PhD Candidate (Doctoranda), University of Cadiz.
• Pages: 261-277

PAIX ET SÉCURITÉ INTERNATIONALES

Journal of International Law and International Relations

Num 7, janvier-décembre 2019 | ISSN 2341-0868

DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.25267/Paix_secur_int.2019.i7.08

Paix et Securité Internationales

ISSN 2341-0868, Num. 7, janvier-décembre 2019, pp. 261-277

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.25267/Paix_secur_int.2019.i7.08

NEW MIGRANT DETENTION STRATEGIES IN SPAIN: SHORT-

TERM ASSISTANCE CENTRES AND INTERNMENT CENTRES

FOR FOREIGN NATIONALS

Diego BOZA MARTÍNEZ1

Dévika PÉREZ MEDINA2

I. - INTRODUCTION. II.-SHORT-TERM ASSISTANCE CENTRES FOR

FOREIGN NATIONALS (CATES). III.- THE CIES AFTER THE CATES. MORE

EFFICIENT? IV.- THE ROUTE FOLLOWING DETENTION: THE CAEDS. V.-

CONCLUSIONS

ABSTRACT: Under Pedro Sánchez leadership, the Spanish Government has modif‌i ed migration

management in Spain, essentially in relation to arrival and reception, through the creation of new

institutions for the detention of recently arrived migrants. Termed Short-Term Assistance Centres

for Foreign Nationals, these new facilities have prompted a change in the role of Internment Centres

for Foreign Nationals.

Here, it shall be analysed the concept, creation, conditions and (non-existent) regulatory fra-

mework of these Assistance Centres and their function as regards managing migrant arrivals. I

shall also explore the concomitant change in the role played by Internment Centres in migration

management in Spain over the past year.

KEYWORDS: Detention centres, migration, CATEs, CIEs, arrivals.

NUEVAS ESTRATEGIAS EN LA DETENCIÓN DE MIGRANTES EN ESPAÑA: LOS

CENTROS DE ATENCIÓN TEMPORAL DE EXTRANJEROS (CATE) Y LOS CENTROS

DE INTERNAMIENTO DE EXTRANJEROS (CIE)

RESUMEN: El Gobierno de Pedro Sánchez ha modif‌i cado la gestión de las migraciones, esencial-

mente en lo relativo a la llegada y la primera acogida, a través de la creación de nuevas instituciones

para la detención de los migrantes recién llegados. En concreto, se ha desarrollado la f‌i gura de los

Centros de Atención Temporal de Extranjeros (CATE) que han propiciado una modif‌i cación en el

rol de los Centros de Internamiento de Extranjeros (CIE).

En este trabajo se analiza la creación de los CATE, su concepto, sus condiciones, su -inexisten-

te- regulación, así como su función en el entramado de la gestión de las llegadas de migrantes y

su relación con el cambio del papel que han jugado los CIE en el último año dentro de la gestión

migratoria española.

1 Lecturer (Profesor Ayudante Doctor) in Criminal Law, University of Cadiz, Member of

the INDESS (Instituto Universitario para el Desarrollo Social Sostenible), Universidad de

Cádiz, Spain.

2 PhD Candidate (Doctoranda), University of Cadiz.

Citation: BOZA MARTÍNEZ, D.; PÉREZ MEDINA, D., «New Migrant Detention Strategies in Spain: Short-

term Assistance Centres and Internment Centres for Foreign Nationals», Paix et Sécurité Internationales, num. 7,

2019, pp. 261-277

Received: 17 June 2019

Accepted: 13 November 2019

New Migrant Detention Strategies in Spain: Short-term Assistance Centres and Internment Centres for Foreign Natio-

nals

Paix et Securité Internationales

ISSN 2341-0868, Num. 7, janvier-décembre 2019, pp. 261-277

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.25267/Paix_secur_int.2019.i7.08

PALABRAS CLAVE: Centros de detención, migración, Centros de Atención Temporal de Extran-

jeros (CATE), Centros de Internamiento de Extranjeros (CIE), llegadas.

NOUVELLES STRATÉGIES EN MATIÈRE DE DÉTENTION DES MIGRANTS EN

ESPAGNE: LES CENTRES TEMPORAIRES ET LES CENTRES D’INTERNEMENT

D’ÉTRANGERS

RESUMÉ: Le gouvernement de Pedro Sánchez a modif‌i é la gestion de la migration, essentielle-

ment en ce qui concerne l’arrivée et le premier accueil, à travers la création de nouvelles institutions

pour la détention des migrants nouvellement arrivés. Plus précisément, il a développé le concept

des centres temporaires d’étrangers (CATE) qui a entraîné une modif‌i cation du rôle des centres

d’internement d’étrangers.

Cet article analyse la création des CATE ; le concept, les conditions, le vide juridique, ainsi que

le rôle de ces centres dans le réseau de la gestion des arrivées de migrants et leur relation avec le

changement du rôle joué par les CIE au cours de la dernière année.

MOT CLÉ: Centres de détention, migrations, CATEs, CIEs, arrivées

I. INTRODUCTION

Since Pedro Sánchez became president of the Spanish Government, some

of the basic strands of Spanish immigration policy have changed, especially

as regards the arrival of migrants from Africa. The stated aim has been to re-

duce these arrivals3, and to this end, the Government has intensif‌i ed relations

with Morocco and has modif‌i ed migration control and sea rescue systems by

creating a single authority and restricting Spain’s maritime space for action,

rendering Moroccan services responsible for sea rescue.

The handling of migrant arrivals in the Spanish territory has also been

changed through the creation of Short-Term Assistance Centres for Foreign

Nationals (Centros de Atención Temporal de Extranjeros, Spanish initials: CATEs)

to manage irregular migrants arriving in small boats from North Africa. This

in turn has changed the role of Internment Centres for Foreign Nationals

(Centros de Internamiento de Extranjeros, Spanish initials: CIEs), which off‌i cial

f‌i gures show were responsible in 2018 for the highest percentages of repa-

triations and the lowest percentage of sub-Saharan internees in recent years.

Here, it shall be addressed questions related to the creation of the various

CATEs along the Spanish coast, their conditions and their function within

the immigration system. Subsequently, I shall analyse how this function has

inf‌l uenced the operation of the CIEs, leading to the highest rate in historical

3 “El Gobierno traza un plan para reducir un 50% la migración irregular” [The Government

outlines a plan to reduce irregular migration by 50%], El País, 30th January, 2019.