Spain to give quotas for Senegalese immigrants

The Spanish government will give quotas for Senegalese immigrants in order to restrain the illegal immigration rush, said a visiting Spanish official on Friday.

The Spanish and Senegalese governments "have decided today to reinforce the framework of legal immigration by establishing a system of migrant quotas," said Leon Gross, the Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, after meeting with Senegalese officials in the Senegal's capital.

Senegalese Interior Minister Ousmane Ngom said the two sides would start defining the quotas very soon.

The meeting came after Senegal's decision on Thursday to suspend the repatriation of Senegalese illegal migrants from Spain's Canary Islands indefinitely. Dakar said the first 99 repatriated migrants, some of whom were handcuffed, were expected to be flown to the Senegalese capital from the Canaries on Wednesday but were told by the Spanish authorities that they were heading for the Spanish mainland.

The Spanish government made an investigation into the issue and made an official report to the Senegalese, said Ngom.

Senegal had agreed to accept around 700 Senegalese, who had illegally arrived at the Spanish Canary Islands, as Spain's first batch of repatriated illegal migrants. In exchange, Spain will help Senegal with farming and infrastructure construction to create jobs in an attempt to persuade more Senegalese to stay in their home country.

More than 8,800 illegal Sub-Saharan African migrants have been intercepted during sea-borne attempts to land on the Canaries so far this year, more than double the number for the whole of last year.

They usually sail across more than 1,000 km of open sea from the long coasts of Mauritania and Senegal to the Canaries in a bid to reach wealthier Europe.

Most of the illegal immigrants in the Canary Islands are from Mali, Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Senegal.

Spain has asked for help from the European Union (EU) to strengthen sea and air patrols to stop the boats carrying the immigrants. Ten EU countries have responded to Spain's appeal, offering boats, planes, helicopters and other aid to their neighbor.

Source: Xinhua