- The Spanish Government says that the prison that will be created in the middle of the sea will be "provisional". The island, 600 meters long, is located between the coast of Almería and the Three Forcas of Morocco. It is used by the military.
The construction of a Foreign Retention Center (CIE) in the Alboran islet was reported last week. Located between the coast of Almeria and Cabo Tres Forcas of Morocco, near Melilla, the island is 600 meters long. It is part of the Andalusian Almeria, but since 1997 it has been used by a detachment from the Spanish Navy.
The Council of Ministers approved this month the construction of an emergency prison. According to government sources, the new facilities in Alborán are intended to help the Navy respond to the "maritime traffic emergencies", that is, to have more resources to hold and chair the migrated people it detects.
The Ministry of Defence will be responsible for the construction of the holding centre, which will be "temporary". The government will allocate a budget of EUR 1,300,000. Defence minister Margarita Robles appeared on 11 March in Alborán and stated that addressing the issue of this island was a "priority": the military declared the "need" to intervene, referring to migration.
The island of Alborán is currently intended for a large number of migrants in their attempt to reach Europe. In the Spanish state, theoretically, a person can stay in a detention center for a maximum of 60 days.