Migrants who arrive in Spain following the Western Mediterranean route are held in precarious conditions and find obstacles to requesting asylum, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) presented by Judith Sunderland, the organization's associate Europe and Central Asia director.
"Whether by negligence or design, Spain fails to treat asylum seekers and migrants who arrive by sea with humanity and dignity," Sunderland said. HRW reported that migrants are "held for days in dark, dank cells in police stations and almost certainly will then automatically be placed in longer-term immigration detention facilities pending deportation that may never happen"."Spain is violating migrants' rights, and there is no evidence it serves as a deterrent to others," Sutherland said. '7,700 arrivals in Spain not comparable to 85,000 in Italy'
HRW also criticised recent statements by Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido, who HRW said "cited 'important pressure' on Spanish ports in rejecting Italy's recent request to have some of the people rescued in the central Mediterranean taken to Spain". Sutherland said that the 7,724 people who reached Spanish coasts between January and July 23, 2017, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), cannot be compared to the 85,150 who arrived in Italy during the first six months of the year. HRW cited conditions of extreme precariousness in temporary detention centres without natural light or ventilation in Almeria and Motril in Granada in the country's south. In particular, it cited the conditions in which minors are held together with their parents, in police custody without legal assistance and with "little or no information about applying for asylum".
The organization also criticized "group interviews" by judges, which often take place only through teleconferencing. HRW is calling on the Spanish authorities to "take urgent steps to improve conditions in police port facilities for people arriving by sea and ensure that they have effective access to information and legal advice".