Spanish Parliamentary Delegation Visits Senegal to Discuss Immigration

A Spanish parliamentary delegation from the Foreign Affairs Committee has completed an official visit to Senegal where they visited the Spanish-Frontex mission based in Dakar and met with Senegalese government officials.  The Spanish delegation included Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida, Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Congress of Deputies, and Jorge Moragas, coordinator of the Presidency and International Relations for the Partido Popular.

Duran i Lleida noted that no boat has succeeded in reaching the Canary Islands in recent months and that this is due to the Spanish presence in Senegal in the form of the National Police and Civil Guard.  The Spanish presence in Senegal along with support from Frontex carries out ongoing surveillance and patrols known as Operation Hera.

Duran i Lleida is quoted as saying that “Thanks to the work of the Spanish National Police and Civil Guard and collaboration with security forces, Senegal has managed to curb illegal immigration.”  He writes on his blog (in Catalan) that “for many years, Senegal is a country that has exported more illegal immigration. … Spanish authorities decided to negotiate with Senegal the conditions for ending illegal immigration. … Here in Dakar there is a unit of the Guardia Civil and [Spanish] police force with naval and air means that control, in collaboration with the Senegalese, the possible departures of illegal immigrants.”

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