The Ombudsman and several technicians from the Office of the Ombudsman visited Algeciras and Tarifa Detention Centres for Foreign Nationals (Centros de Internamiento de Extranjeros, CIE).
The building in Algeciras is in very bad condition as it is a old prison that has problems with the construction materials and damp that is very hard to eliminate. The 16 women detainees who are there at present say that they find it cold there, and that there is continuous damp in the rooms. At the time of the visit, only one of them had asked for international protection and claimed that she was running away because they wanted to marry her forcibly. The others said that they were running away because of the misery in which they lived.
The detainees are from Guinea Bissau, Morocco, Paraguay and Ivory Coast. They reached the peninsula in rubber dinghies, after spending months in the woods in Morocco, with the help of an NGO, and some have burns caused by the fuel from the rubber dinghies. The doctor said that at the moment they are well, but that they are anxious about their future. They say that they are well treated by the police, and by the medical staff caring for them. The detainees have been in the centre for 8 to 28 days and it appears to be difficult to identify them.
Tarifa CIE occupies a former military compound. Ninety people are housed there, the large majority sub-Saharans. The dormitories do not meet the minimum conditions necessary. There is a good area for relaxation and sport. The doctor and the nurse only see patients in the morning and not at the weekend.
In the coming hours, the Office of the Ombudsman will prepare the complete report of the visit, as well as appropriate recommendations for the authorities, an account of which will be given in Parliament and in these pages.
