The Canary Islands' eighth island cannot become a migrant holding centre
A proposal to confine migrants on La Graciosa, an island of 29.1 km² with 750 residents, runs up against geography, logistics and rights.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The Canary Islands' eighth island is not a dumping ground for people
As the Canary Islands once again face migration pressure, a recurring idea has resurfaced in certain corners of the internet: using La Graciosa, the archipelago's eighth island, to confine migrants and unaccompanied minors there. The proposal is sold as a "logistical solution": 29.1 km², larger than Ceuta or Melilla, and only 750 residents who would have to be compensated. But the plan falls apart as soon as you look at the details.
The first problem is geographic and human. La Graciosa has no airport, depends on a ferry, and its population is not voiceless. Relocating residents to set up some kind of "improvised zone" is the part nobody explains: who pays the compensation, who guarantees basic services, and what happens if someone decides to swim or sail a dinghy across to Lanzarote. The reality is that controlling an island without infrastructure costs more than a facility on solid ground.
The precedents do not help the argument. Some cite Australia and its offshore detention; others recall that Cabrera already served as a prisoner camp for Napoleon's soldiers, and not exactly with humanitarian success. Perejil is also mentioned, with its goats and no water. The recurring analogy of "dumping them on an island and letting them fend for themselves" clashes with Spanish law and with simple logic: an inhabited island is not a prison.
The only figure supporting the idea is its surface area. Everything else —logistics, rights, coexistence— remains unresolved.
As the Canary Islands once again face migration pressure, a recurring idea has resurfaced in certain corners of the internet: using La Graciosa, the archipelago's eighth island, to confine migrants and unaccompanied minors there. The proposal is sold as a "logistical solution": 29.1 km², larger than Ceuta or Melilla, and only 750 residents who would have to be compensated. But the plan falls apart as soon as you look at the details.
The first problem is geographic and human. La Graciosa has no airport, depends on a ferry, and its population is not voiceless. Relocating residents to set up some kind of "improvised zone" is the part nobody explains: who pays the compensation, who guarantees basic services, and what happens if someone decides to swim or sail a dinghy across to Lanzarote. The reality is that controlling an island without infrastructure costs more than a facility on solid ground.
The precedents do not help the argument. Some cite Australia and its offshore detention; others recall that Cabrera already served as a prisoner camp for Napoleon's soldiers, and not exactly with humanitarian success. Perejil is also mentioned, with its goats and no water. The recurring analogy of "dumping them on an island and letting them fend for themselves" clashes with Spanish law and with simple logic: an inhabited island is not a prison.
The only figure supporting the idea is its surface area. Everything else —logistics, rights, coexistence— remains unresolved.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (28 replies).
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