The Mayor of Mogán, Onalia Bueno, has sparked outrage by positioning herself as a champion of solidarity with Ceuta amid the current migration crisis, comparing it to a situation in her municipality in 2020. Bueno announced a rally of support for Ceuta at the former ‘Dock of Shame’ in Arguineguín, a site recently renamed by the Pope as the ‘Dock of Hope.’
In a self-promoting video, Bueno glossed over key facts about the 2020 crisis, which saw Sub-Saharan migrants arriving by boat during the Covid pandemic. At that time, the Spanish government detained these migrants at the Arguineguín dock, an action praised by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. During this period, Bueno arranged buses in the dead of night to transport 180 migrants to another municipality, leaving them outside the Government Delegation with no support.
She also attempted to expel migrants housed in vacant hotels, which were empty due to the pandemic, and even pursued penalties against hotels that accommodated unaccompanied minors.
Last June, amidst her anti-migration campaign, Bueno tried to exploit the Pope’s visit to the ‘Dock of Hope,’ where Pope Francis commemorated those who perished at sea while urging for dignified treatment of migrants—an ethos starkly at odds with Bueno’s stance.
Despite her attempts to claim a place alongside the Pope in national media, a camera movement subtly obscured her in the footage of the papal event. Nevertheless, she attended the mass, which featured the Pope reiterating the importance of migrant dignity. The video she shared later demonstrated her complete disregard for the Pope’s message, using images of migrants merely as electoral leverage without honouring their dignity.
Bueno’s actions ignore the fact that the migration issue is not solely a problem for Mogán but impacts all of Gran Canaria. The islands have been receiving thousands of migrants for over three decades, starting with those arriving on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura due to their proximity to the mainland—a fact she conveniently overlooks.
Her blatant disregard for ethics and her opportunistic approach reflects a troubling pre-election strategy ahead of the 2027 elections, prompting strong criticism from various quarters.
