Pope Leo XIV and Sánchez set to visit Canary Islands 'pier of shame'

Papal visit to Arguineguín

Pope Leo XIV will visit the Arguineguín pier on Thursday, accompanied by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, several ministers, and Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo. The visit aims to draw attention to the perilous Atlantic migration route and the humanitarian crisis that unfolded at the pier in 2020, known as the "muelle de la vergüenza" (pier of shame). The pontiff has already advocated for a "respectful welcome" of migrants in Madrid, calling for responses that go "beyond mere flow management" and offer "safe and legal pathways."

The 2020 humanitarian disaster

Between August and November 2020, more than 23,000 migrants and refugees reached the Canary Islands, overwhelming local resources. At its peak, the Arguineguín camp held up to 2,700 people, sleeping on concrete without beds, water, or toilets. A Moroccan man, Hamza, told EL PAÍS that he spent 11 days on the asphalt: "We slept on the ground with a blanket beneath us, nothing to cover ourselves, and they only gave us a small tuna sandwich around 11 or noon—hygiene? What the fuck!" Former magistrate Arcadio Díaz Tejera, who inspected the site, called it "an unlawful situation" and "an example of how things should not be done." Spain's ombudsman made an unannounced visit on 16 November 2020, and the camp was dismantled shortly afterward.

We slept on the ground with a blanket beneath us, nothing to cover ourselves, and they only gave us a small tuna sandwich around 11 or noon—hygiene? What the fuck!

Mixed reactions from the local community

The papal visit has stirred complex sentiments in Arguineguín. While residents like José Luis recall aiding migrants with food, many still resent being left to manage the crisis alone. "The town hasn't forgotten how they abandoned us," he says. Mayor Onalia Bueno, who faces criticism for previously obstructing the reception of minors and refusing to pay for migrant burials, now stresses the need for "controlled immigration" and dignity. In a Facebook video, she emphasized that "borders can be broken down with art, culture, and humanity."

The balance is that if we take in migrants, we must guarantee their dignity—and that didn't happen. This society needs immigration, but it needs to be controlled immigration.

A priest's plea from El Hierro

The papal itinerary skips El Hierro, the island that has borne the brunt of recent arrivals, angering its local president. Instead, Darwin Rivas, a Spanish-Venezuelan priest responsible for four parishes there, will deliver a message of integration at a pre-mass event in Tenerife. Rivas, who as a volunteer has helped migrants at the arrival center, insists that "migration is a political problem that cannot be solved with police solutions."

Migration is a political problem that cannot be solved with police solutions.

Charting the timeline