Mali migrants protest at Guardamar centre over slow regularisation

On Monday morning at about 8:30 a.m., around 300 migrants – mainly from Mali, with some from Senegal – staged a protest at the Costa Blanca Explorer hotel, a former Marist seminary in Guardamar del Segura, Spain. The group blocked staff from the NGO Fundación Cepaim, which assists with their immigration paperwork, and said they were protesting excessive delays in the regularisation of their status. Local authorities, including the Guardia Civil, the Citizen Security Unit and Guardamar police, were deployed to prevent escalation and keep access to the centre open. Mayor José Luis Sáez noted the demonstrators had planned to march along the busy N‑332 road to draw attention to their plight, but police negotiated an agreement and the march was averted.

The migrants, many of whom hold refugee or international protection status, said their main concern is obtaining work permits so they can support themselves and send money to families back in war‑torn Mali. Hotel manager Gonzalo Monfort said the slow administrative process hampers integration, and even when permits are granted, housing remains a major challenge. The protest highlights ongoing criticism of Spain’s reception programme, which transferred migrants from the Canary Islands to the mainland beginning in 2023.