From the US to Villalba de los Alcores: an agreement between Sánchez and Biden brings almost a hundred Nicaraguan refugees to Valladolid
A group of twenty-three Nicaraguan refugees and their families, totaling nearly a hundred individuals, have recently arrived in the province of Valladolid in Spain. They have come to work in a photovoltaic plant located in the town of Villalba de los Alcores. This relocation initiative was announced by the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, Elma Saiz, as the first step of an agreement made by Pedro Sánchez during his visit to the White House in May. The aim of the agreement is to facilitate the arrival of immigrants from Latin America to Spain. Saiz mentioned that the United States has encouraged Spain to share this model with neighboring countries such as Italy and Portugal.
As of now, only Canada, Spain, and the United States have such an agreement in place. Its practical implication is to alleviate the migratory pressure on the United States by allowing Madrid and Ottawa to accept a portion of migrants and refugees who are heading from Central and South America to North America.
These Nicaraguan refugees were previously residing in Costa Rica, where they had expressed their interest in settling in Spain. Their transfer, along with their families, was coordinated with the assistance of the United States. The US provided logistical support to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), who are responsible for refugee and migration matters. This operation falls under the concept of “circular migration,” which involves temporarily relocating immigrants with professional qualifications that cannot be found among residents in Spain.
Spain facilitates this migration process through its four Safe Mobility Offices located in Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Currently, the Spanish government is in discussions with the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to establish a circular migration fund that will provide financial support for these initiatives. It is worth noting that, during Saiz’s visit to Washington, the issue of the circular migration fund was not addressed in meetings with the World Bank and the IDB, according to the Ministry of Migration.