The institution concludes that, despite being technically adequate, the environment generated by its transfer prevents it from guaranteeing the privacy and intimacy of the minors.

The Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) has officially informed the Government Delegation that the Santa Magdalena powder magazine, in Inca, is no longer considered a viable resource for the opening of a first reception centre for unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents (NNAMNA). This decision was announced today by the councillor of Social Welfare and president of IMAS, Guillermo Sánchez, during a press conference.

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IMAS no longer considers the Santa Magdalena powder magazine as a first reception centre viable

Sánchez explained that ‘even though the space has the appropriate technical characteristics, as certified at the time by IMAS technicians, the media exposure has created an environment that prevents the privacy and intimacy of the NNAMNAs from being guaranteed, which is an essential requirement according to current regulations’. Furthermore, he stressed, ‘the LOPIVI states that the managing bodies need a protective environment from a physical, psychological and social point of view to carry out their work, a condition that cannot be guaranteed in this case due to the controversy and media pressure surrounding the appeal’.

During the year 2024, the number of arrivals of NNAMNA has doubled compared to 2023, from 180 to 367. This has meant that, despite the efforts of IMAS and the organisations to find spaces, the situation in the centres is currently one of saturation; specifically, 3 out of every 4 children or adolescents in residential care are NNAMNA. In this context, Sánchez has called on the Spanish government to ‘provide the necessary resources to deal with what he considers to be an unprecedented migratory crisis. This situation cannot fall exclusively on local institutions. We ask for collaboration and responsibility from all the administrations involved,’ he said.

Finally, the president of IMAS has called on the president of the central executive, Pedro Sánchez, to strengthen migration policies and implement effective measures to combat illegal immigration, stressing that this problem is a tragedy that costs thousands of lives every year in the Mediterranean.

IMAS reaffirms its commitment to researching alternatives that guarantee dignified and adequate care for children and adolescents and continues to work to find sustainable solutions.