Migrant children arriving in Mallorca by boat can now stay in Son Tous

PalmThe Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS), an agency of the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council), has already prepared the first spaces at the Son Tous center to accommodate unaccompanied migrant children arriving in Mallorca by boat. Currently, one of the building's four wings has been adapted to house 16 children and teenagers, but renovations will be carried out to refurbish the other areas and expand the center's capacity to 64 minors, explained IMAS President Guillermo Sánchez. He noted that arrivals are projected to reach 267 children and teenagers by 2024 – half that number arrived in 2023.

At this point, the IMAS (Mallorca Social Welfare Institute) is caring for 430 migrant children, seven or eight times more than the island institution has the capacity to handle, Sánchez said. The president emphasized that having a building available for the children will also allow for a reduction in the daily cost of residential services—the building, which belongs to the Spanish government, has been provided by the government—from 239 euros to approximately 140. A psychologist, four educational assistants, two mediators, and a social worker will be responsible for the children once the center is fully operational.

Sánchez indicated that other properties will be sought if arrivals exceed the capacity of Son Tous, and also assured that this center, managed by the SAMU Foundation, meets "all the requirements to offer dignified treatment to minors." In addition to the bedrooms, the newly equipped wing has a tutoring room, a dining room, a laundry room, a recreation room, and a study room. Until a kitchen is available, a catering company will provide meals for the children. The center also has approximately 5,000 square meters of outdoor space. Son Tous will not be a reception center, but rather an immediate intervention center. However, Sánchez acknowledged that it will be difficult to transfer children to reception centers while they are at capacity. The situation of the minors will vary "depending on their progress and individual circumstances," said the president of IMAS, noting that most of the minors arriving in Mallorca are between 16 and 17 years old. "Some have faster processes and can be referred, while others take longer and will finish their support here," he explained.

This center is located right next to the Temporary Foreigners' Detention Center (CATE), which will streamline coordination with the National Police, Sánchez emphasized. "There will be direct contact to monitor the minors and prepare their files," he noted. Adapting the first area for 16 minors has cost between 40,000 and 50,000 euros, and the bathrooms—currently temporary—the heating system, the wardrobes, and the study room still need to be completed. The migrants will occupy two of the building's three floors, and the third will be designated for the IMAS unit for unaccompanied foreign minors.