immigration

NGO urges to shut down migrant detention center in Barcelona

May 8, 2017 04:12 PM | ACN

The Migra Studium foundation calls for the closure of the Zona Franca detention centre and all similar detention centers for immigrants in Spain (CIE) because “they break Spanish immigration law”. The foundation’s annual report on the detention center for immigrants in Barcelona warns of an increase in the number of minors, an important lack of interpreters and that many detainees do not fulfill the requirements to be expelled from the state. The foundation acknowledged the support of the Barcelona city council, which has tried to close the Zona Franca CIE alleging the lack of an activity license. According to Migra Studium these “are good news, because it shows a raising awareness about the severe situation of the detained immigrants”.

Tourist towns urge Catalan and Spanish governments to help them fight ‘top manta’

August 24, 2015 05:37 PM | ACN / N. Guisasola, L. Fíguls, L. Poblado and G. Sánchez

Illegal street trading, known in Catalonia as ‘top manta’, is an old and complex problem in many tourist towns in Catalonia. But councils feel alone and powerless when they try to deal with it. The recent death of Senegalese citizen Mor Sylla in Salou during a police operation against illegal vending has raised the alarms about a phenomenon that has economic, social and security implications. The mayors of Barcelona, Roses, Sitges and El Vendrell, some of the towns most adversely affected by this issue, have urged the Catalan and Spanish governments to intervene because this “is not a local problem” but a national, and even international one.