Torrox mayor demands solutions to migrants sleeping rough

The mayor of Torrox, Óscar Medina (PP), called on the central government on Monday to “guarantee and ensure the safety and decent living conditions” of vulnerable migrants in the eastern Costa del Sol town. The mayor has issued his appeal following the emergence in recent weeks of makeshift shelters in various public spaces.

Medina warned that “no human being should be forced to spend the night in public spaces in extremely precarious conditions” in Torrox. According to a press release from the town hall people have been found sleeping in reed beds, on beaches and under public infrastructure – areas which, according to the mayor, “are not homes, lack any sanitary facilities and pose a serious risk to their own safety and health”.

The mayor has insisted that these are “human beings in a situation of extreme vulnerability who deserve to be treated with dignity”. In this regard, Medina has called for a situation not to be normalised which, in his view, places a burden of care on local authorities that should be addressed by the state.

“The central government cannot wash its hands of the fate and living conditions of these people on the ground, leaving the entire human and welfare burden in the hands of local councils such as Torrox,” said Medina. The mayor stressed that the aim must be to provide an orderly response and prevent vulnerable people from “scraping by” in conditions incompatible with human dignity.

The town hall says that it has been monitoring the affected areas to ensure both the protection of vulnerable people and the peace of mind of residents. According to the statement, this municipal monitoring focuses on compliance with health and fire prevention regulations, particularly in view of the possible lighting of fires in natural environments.

“Our absolute priority is to ensure that Torrox remains a cohesive, safe and liveable town for everyone, where coexistence is protected and where an end is put to situations of housing insecurity that directly undermine human dignity,” Medina emphasised.

The mayor’s request comes as the municipality continues to host migrants at the Urban Beach Hotel in El Morche, a four-star hotel converted in October 2023 into a centre for migrants referred from other parts of the country, particularly following the migratory pressure on the Canary and Balearic Islands.

Around 1,600 people have passed through the hotel in two years, according to figures provided by the Red Cross in October 2025. The centre mainly caters for young men from Senegal and, in recent months, also from conflict-torn countries such as Mali and Somalia.

The Red Cross provides social support, Spanish lessons, training on Spanish cultural norms and vocational training at the hotel in Torrox. Its provincial coordinator in Malaga, Samuel Linares, explained that there is “high demand from fruit and vegetable companies in the area” for fruit and vegetable harvesting seasons and that more than 160 participants had secured employment “under decent conditions”.

Linares went on to argue that the operation had been carried out “without a single incident”, despite criticism from the town hall. He also pointed out that these individuals are free to move about, although many are subject to deportation orders having entered the country illegally, unless they apply for international protection or manage to regularise their status through other means.

Medina has now expressed his gratitude for “the extraordinary humanitarian, assistance and integration work” carried out by Red Cross staff and volunteers in the town. However, he has formally requested that the Spanish government clarify “once and for all its future plans and the timeframe” for the reception facility at the El Morche hotel.

The mayor maintains that the latest known state extensions have already been “far exceeded” and calls for certainty regarding a measure that was originally intended to be temporary. “Two and a half years on, a tourist town like Torrox requires transparent, coordinated and certain state planning,” he said.

Medina went on to say that the policy is "based on improvisation and administrative silence" that has ended up turning temporary emergency resources into a permanent fixture which cannot be sustained.