Manuel Pavón: "The Canary Islands must also put themselves in our shoes."

PalmHe insists he shouldn't justify himself in the face of criticism and accusations of racism and xenophobia. The new Director General of Immigration and Development Cooperation, Manuel Pavón (Madrid, 1981), also asks for time to launch initiatives and highlights his experience as a national police officer to help him fill the position for the remainder of the term.

What are the duties of a Director General of Immigration in a government that lacks the broadest scope of powers?

— We have responsibilities for integration, social adaptation, and trying to make life a little easier for people who come from abroad and live on our islands. The immigration service needs to be strengthened because there's a lack of personnel to implement the measures I have in mind. Once this is done, there are several projects. Among them, strengthening the immigrant integration offices and intensifying meetings with the groups settled here. This directorate-general also manages cooperation in developing countries. We don't have responsibilities for irregular immigration, but we do have the responsibility to report what happens in the Balearic Islands.

How do you assess the fact that a far-right party like Vox is satisfied with your appointment?

— I'm not going to weigh in on what other parties have said about me. Everyone can think what they want.

Are you free to decide when the government's actions are conditioned by Vox?

— We have a clear roadmap. No one should tell us what to do.

In an interview, you said that "many migrants come to commit crimes." What sources do you base this claim on?

— Those words were misinterpreted, and that was when I was in my previous position. There are public documents that anyone can look at and draw their own conclusions. But you have to listen to the interview first.

Do you deny having made this statement?

— I say that it has been manipulated, that it cannot be generalized, that it is necessary to listen to the interview and investigate the published data.

The government has referred to a Frontex report that points to the risk of individuals "with malicious intent" sneaking onto the boats. The main point of entry for immigration is the airport. Can't individuals "with malicious intent" sneak in there as well?

— When a boat arrives, we don't know who's coming, where they're coming from, what they've done, and what they want to do here. This is the problem, unlike at an authorized border crossing, like an airport or a port. The person who enters through an authorized crossing is monitored by the police; we know who they are, we have their documentation, we can check their background, etc. The fact that a person with malicious intent enters is enough to control them. And we must forget that we're facing a humanitarian tragedy. I won't generalize, because not everyone who enters is bad. But control is necessary. Immigration must be legal and orderly. When we talk about immigrants, it seems like only pastoral workers come. But many are big business owners and workers.

There are also migrants who arrive by boat and who are hard workers.

— Of course. That's why the Autonomous Community exists, to implement effective and efficient resources so they adapt to our society. But we'll need to know if they've committed a crime in their country of origin and we don't know about it.

Why is it impossible for the Balearic Islands to accommodate the 49 migrant minors who are entitled to them under the allocation made by the State?

— We have 682 minors in foster care. Do you know if any minors are currently being taken in on any small boats? The immigration routes speak for themselves. The latest biweekly report on irregular immigration from the Ministry of the Interior says that the Balearic Islands are up 77% and the Canary Islands are down 46%. In absolute terms, it's true that the situation in the Canary Islands is worse than ours. But the trend is changing. Analysts on migration flows say so, Frontex says so. Obviously, we stand in solidarity with the Canary Islands and will take measures to prevent us from becoming like them. You don't agree with the distribution of these 49 unaccompanied minors because the services in the Balearic Islands are saturated. We don't know where they'll come from, how they'll come, or when they'll come, and there's no room to care for them properly. We don't have enough reception centers or enough professionals. What security, what social adaptation will we provide them?

Is it not possible to purchase a property and hire professionals?

— It's not my responsibility, but I understand it isn't. We're not saying it shouldn't be distributed nationally, but the Balearic Islands can't take on more because we don't know what we'll have by the end of the year. Who carried out this distribution? How did they do it? Why, in this assessment, does the population count as 50%, island size as 2%, and per capita income as 12%, and not other amounts? They didn't take the autonomous communities into account.

Isn't it hard to accept these arguments when it comes to 50 people?

— Even if it's just one. If you can't take care of it properly...

If the government's appeal is unsuccessful, do these children have to stay on the islands?

— We will exhaust all legal avenues to prevent the distribution from taking place.

But if the legal route ultimately fails, will they accept that these children should be left behind?

— This approach is not on the table. We hope the courts will rule in favor of the Autonomous Community.

The Canary Islands government has accused the Balearic Islands of being unsupportive.

— They should also put themselves in our shoes. Yes, we are supportive. The Autonomous Community invests significantly in cooperation in developing countries. But solidarity has nothing to do with capacity. Capacity is what it is.

Do you think Frontex will agree to deploy to the islands?

— Frontex wants to deploy in the Balearic Islands. We've requested the reports that have been prepared on the islands in recent years. Let's see what they say.

Should the State request this deployment?

— Frontex conducts a risk analysis and sends it to the State. We don't know what Spain has done with these reports. We want to ask what happened, why Frontex isn't there, whether it's asking to come to the Islands, and since when.

What would its deployment in the Balearic Islands entail?

— Frontex proposes human and material resources based on an analysis of the migratory flow situation. We already have three operations in Spain: in the Canary Islands, the area around Tarifa and Ceuta, and the one on the coast of Murcia. We don't understand why the Balearic Islands aren't the fourth operation, especially when the trend is increasing the most. Everything indicates that sooner rather than later we'll see what happened in the Canary Islands. What does Frontex do? It sends specialized personnel to take fingerprints and conduct interviews. They spend four or five hours with each person who arrives by boat. They also have dog handlers and can use boats and drones. Frontex has the organizational capacity to be in the Balearic Islands in just over a month if Spain requests it. Why hasn't this been done? We'll find out shortly.

What percentage of migrants arriving in the Islands stay?

— Do you know? Then you're just like me. The Government Delegation doesn't provide data. We've asked how many people are coming, how many are staying, and how many are leaving. They don't answer. Migrants aren't deprived of their liberty. Who's preventing them from leaving or staying? Do you know where they're going? Who are they? We don't know. I also want to know if these people have committed crimes in their country of origin.

The Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) has accused Maritime Rescue of institutional racism and of prioritizing tourism over the lives of migrants. What do you think about this conflict?

— I don't know what you're talking about. But I know the people at the AUGC, and they're very professional, like the rest of the police unions. The situation is complicated. Both the Civil Guard and the police will collapse.

He has said that he has been accused of being racist and xenophobic.

— I don't think I need to justify anything. We aren't. I'm here to work and contribute. I'm asking for time so my actions can be assessed.