3 Arrested in Tenerife Migrant Youth Center Mistreatment Probe

Police in the Canary Islands arrested three people on Tuesday. This was part of an investigation into a center for young migrants in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife. The three arrested individuals used to work at the center, which is run by an organization called Quorum Social 77. This organization has a history of closing other centers it managed in the Canary Islands and facing legal issues.

The police operation, which is still secret, involved searching the center, which is in a former hotel in the tourist town. Officials from the Ministry of Presidency, Public Administrations, Justice, and Security said that more arrests could happen as the investigation continues. This action is part of a larger police and court effort, led by the Court for Violence Against Children and Adolescents in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Quorum Social 77 has a troubled past. Between May and July 2025, two of its centers closed due to claims of mistreatment: one in Santa Brígida, Gran Canaria, which housed 45 young people, and another in Arinaga, with 148 young people. The company's main office in Las Palmas also closed during this time. Before this, in November of last year, Canarian Police had already stepped in at another center for unaccompanied minors in Puerto del Rosario, Fuerteventura, leading to the arrest of its deputy director and another employee.

Sandra Rodríguez, the Director General for the Protection of Children and Families for the Canary Islands government, told the media that this current investigation started in September 2024 after her department got involved. Complaints from several young people in April 2025 led to Tuesday's search at the Puerto de la Cruz center. Ms. Rodríguez explained that her department reported the issues to the courts for investigation. They also asked the company to remove two people from working directly with the minors, which resulted in five employees being fired.

Despite these problems, Quorum Social 77 has not told the Directorate General that the Puerto de la Cruz center, which currently has about 130 young migrants, has closed. Nor have they reported the closure of the Fuerteventura center mentioned earlier. Ms. Rodríguez noted that during the search, some of the young people confirmed that the alleged abuse happened when the fired workers were still there. She added that, currently, the center is running "correctly."

Regarding Quorum Social 77 continuing to manage centers for young migrants, Ms. Rodríguez said that "any act of mistreatment or violation of a minor's rights will be reported to the proper authorities for investigation." She added that they would wait for a final court decision before making big choices. She also mentioned that they would look at each situation as they work to reorganize the centers due to the ongoing migration situation. However, she clarified that some centers run by this company "work very well," have good reviews from the European Asylum Agency, and are regularly inspected.