Archive image of a patera arriving in Santanyi. | Gori Vicens

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The illegal immigrants detained on Boxing Day will not be sent immediately to mainland detention centres because there is currently no space.

There were twenty-seven in all, seventeen in Majorca. As well as these people, more arrived on the south coast of Spain.

The numbers are such that the detention centres are full up. Because of this situation, the illegal immigrants in the Balearics did not appear in court yesterday, which should have been the normal procedure.They are instead being given accommodation and food by social services.

The national government delegation says that it expects spaces at the detention centres to be available in the next few days.

The immigrants will then be rearrested, appear in court and sent to the mainland.