The Fuenlabrada City Council denounces that the new reception centre for unaccompanied migrant minors, opened by the Community of Madrid, is located in an isolated industrial estate without integration.
The Fuenlabrada City Council, governed by the PSOE, has announced that it will legally challenge the opening of a reception centre for unaccompanied migrant minors in the municipality, a decision by the regional government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso that it describes as “unilateral” and taken “behind their backs”. The mayor, Francisco Javier Ayala, has denounced that the centre is situated in an industrial estate, far from the urban core, and lacks the appropriate conditions for the integration of minors.
According to Ayala, the centre has been a source of conflict between the City Council and the Community of Madrid for two years. “The Community of Madrid acts independently of the City Council, trying to harm unaccompanied minors and Fuenlabrada,” declared the mayor, who asserts that the regional government has ignored the City Council throughout the process.
The mayor has criticized the overcrowding of the centre and its location. “It cannot be in an industrial estate,” he pointed out, adding that to this day the City Council has “no knowledge of what is happening there”. The lack of information has led the City Council to consider going to court to halt the centre's activities or demand its relocation.
Residents of Fuenlabrada consulted by this newspaper have expressed divided opinions. One resident stated that politicians “are throwing things at each other over anything,” while another expressed that “it would be very embarrassing if something happened like this when the future of a lot of kids is at stake.” There have also been calls for both administrations to agree so that the minors can have “a good life, good education, and a place to stay.”
The conflict is set against the backdrop of the management of unaccompanied foreign minors, a regional responsibility that has generated tensions with several municipalities in Madrid. In this case, a judge has already ruled in favour of the Community of Madrid, considering that the centre is its property, but the Fuenlabrada City Council is not backing down. “We will appeal legally, but we will also file complaints,” Ayala has stated, who does not rule out political mobilisations to pressure the regional president.
The Ministry of Social Policies has not provided statements to this media outlet regarding the criticisms made by the City Council. However, sources from the regional government have previously defended the need to open reception centres to respond to the influx of migrant minors, a reality that has grown in the Community of Madrid in recent years.
Meanwhile, the Fuenlabrada centre remains operational. Residents of the industrial area have expressed their concern about the lack of nearby services and the distance from the urban centre. “They should be more centralised. If they need to reintegrate, they won't do it there,” opined one resident. The controversy highlights the differences in criteria between the City Council and the Community of Madrid regarding where and how these support resources should be located.
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