As part of the European POC Mauritania project, two centers for the reception and referral of foreigners (CARE) are being rehabilitated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. These centers will be equipped and governed by internal regulations based on the operation of the Temporary Care Centers for Foreigners (CATE) in Spain. For this reason, a Mauritanian delegation has made a study visit to the CATE on the island of El Hierro, with the aim of improving the procedures for the care of migrants, as well as sharing good practices and experiences that can be transferred to the working model of the Mauritanian police, thus improving the care of migrants on their arrival in Europe and cooperation between Spain and Mauritania.

Critical point on the migratory route

The CATE on the island of El Hierro has become a crucial point in the migratory route. This process begins in the port of La Restinga, where most of the canoes from Mauritania and Senegal arrive, and where an initial assessment is carried out. There, migrants are identified and provided with basic medical and humanitarian care by the Red Cross, before being transferred to the CATE to complete the necessary administrative procedures.

In 2024, a similar visit was made to the CATE in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where it was not possible to observe the operation due to the lack of occupancy at that time. The CATE of El Hierro has a greater influx of migrants, which increases the probability of being able to analyze the work dynamics in a more active and representative context. However, given that this meeting included a stopover in Las Palmas, its facilities were also visited.

The visit was attended by the deputy director and the coordinator of POC Mauritania, accompanied by a Mauritanian delegation comprising the director of Territorial Surveillance, two officials from the Mauritanian Red Cross and the head of the Security and Migration Department of the European Union Delegation (EUD) in Mauritania.