Las Raíces
Las Raíces, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, 38296 Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Managed by Accem · ~2,000 places
The largest reception camp in the Canary Islands, on former military land at Las Raíces in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife. Opened in 2021 under the Plan Canarias with a planned 2,000 places, managed by the NGO Accem. Around 10,000 people passed through it in its first two years. Capacity reached about 2,500 during the 2024 arrivals peak; Accem reported 685 people accommodated in 2026. Conditions have been repeatedly criticised: Médicos del Mundo described the site as an example of the failure of macro-camps, and residents have held hunger strikes and protests. The regional government acknowledged that 140 unaccompanied minors had been placed there despite it being a facility for adults.
Timeline
Feb 2021
Camp opened on former military land
Opened under the Plan Canarias with a planned capacity of about 2,000 places, managed by the NGO Accem, on a site inland from La Laguna.
Mar 2021
Residents report conditions unfit
Residents of the Canary camps told international media the facilities were unfit, and hunger strikes and protests were reported at Las Raíces over food and conditions.
2023
Around 10,000 people had passed through in two years
Reporting on the camp's first two years recorded roughly 10,000 people accommodated, with residents describing periods when it was severely overcrowded.
2024
Regional government confirms minors were placed in an adults' facility
The Canary Islands government acknowledged that 140 unaccompanied migrant minors had been accommodated at Las Raíces, which is a facility for adults.
2026
Accem reports 685 people accommodated
Occupancy well below the roughly 2,500 reached during the 2024 arrivals peak, following a sharp fall in Atlantic-route arrivals.
12 Jun 2026
Papal visit announced
The camp is due to be visited by Pope Leo XIV during his apostolic journey to Spain.
Source
elDiario.es Canarias Ahora · news
Part of Spain’s reception and detention system. Figures are described neutrally from the cited source; coordinates marked “approx.” are town-level estimates. Most Spanish reception capacity is delivered through acción concertada in rented, dispersed apartments with no published addresses, we do not map homes. Any allegation against a named organisation is reported as an ongoing proceeding, not an established fact.