2017 GA Motions: Close the CIES

The European Free Alliance Youth, in its radical defence and belief in Human Rights, cannot accept the existence of the seven CIEs (Centro de Internamento de Estranjeros, Foreigners Internal Centre) in the Spanish state, two of which are in the Catalan Countries.

These centres act as administrative prisons where foreigners are retained in order to wait for their deportation to their countries of origin. They are a clear deprivation of freedom and the interns live in terrible conditions.  People who have been interned have reported the lack of space, the cold in the cells and a current practice of harassment to the people interned. CIEs are opaque places, where Human Rights organizations and institutions are forbidden to enter, and neither local governments do. What’s worse, several people have died or even killed themselves in there. The location of these centres is also remarkable, as they tend to be close to the airports and distant to the population, clearly showing the Spanish government’s aim of removing interns from Spain.

The CIEs are intrinsically discriminatory, because the possibility to be interned and therefore expelled of the country can only be applied to foreigners. Most of the interns are Sub-saharan, from the very other side of the Mediterranean, and they are not allowed to stay because of the lack of documentation. These racist attacks by the Spanish government are systematic. Spain has been considered an example for the European agency FRONTEX when it comes to closing the borders, and both the Spanish and the European migration policies are constantly infringing human rights. The Spanish foreign law, which establishes the existence of the CIEs, is a xenophobic law which only gives privileges to those with Spanish origin. This law must be removed if we want  open and respectful states.

Barcelona Council (several times) and the Catalan Parliament (on July 2015) both have stated and asked for the CIE in Barcelona to be closed. There has also been a social campaign in the Valencian Country to close the CIE dels Sapadors, in Valencia. After being closed in October 2016 because of a plague of bedbugs, it has reopened, having the mayor of Valencia and the Valencian Parliament against it.

There have been different events and demonstrations and many platforms have been created to close the CIEs, but all of them are still open and they haven’t changed much.

Thus, taking into account that:

1. The CIEs are institutions where Human Rights are not respected.
2. The CIEs are discriminatory and racist.
3. The Foreign Law in Spain is racist, discriminatory and xenophobic.
4. The CIEs are only the visual part of a racist and discriminatory system, which involves all Europe. In France, Italy, United Kingdom or the Netherlands these centres also exist.
5. There is a popular claim that these centres must end and close.

The European Free Alliance Youth:

1. Demands the immediate closure of CIE Zona Franca (Barcelona), CIE Els Sapadors (Valencia) and all the others CIEs or centres built with the same aims.
2. Asks the local authorities to fight against these centers, acknowledging the only actual power to close the CIEs is the Spanish government.
3. Demands the elimination of the foreign law in the Spanish State.
4. Expresses its support to Tanquem el CIE, CIEs NO and any campaign that fights to close the CIEs.
5. Criminalises the general prosecution of migrants and refugees of all around Europe, and claims for an opening of the borders.