The Canary Islands archipelago faces a sharp increase in the arrival of illegal migrants

According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior (PDF)the Spanish archipelago of the Canaries welcomed 22,304 illegal migrants between the beginning of the year and mid-August, compared to 9,864 last year at the same dates, a spectacular increase of 126%. The Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras, which helps migrants, estimates that more than 5,000 of them died at sea during the first five months of the year, an average of 33 deaths per day. This figure is explained by the extreme danger of this sea route, due to very strong currents, while the migrants travel in makeshift boats in poor condition and overloaded.

The issue of illegal immigration to Europe and how to reduce it will dominate the visit that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will make next week to three West African countries: Mauritania, Gambia and Senegal.

Pedro Sanchez’s visit to Mauritania will be his second in six months. He went there in February with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who announced €210 million in aid as part of increased cooperation with Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania.

In recent months, this country has become the main departure point for migrants determined to reach the Canary Islands, the new gateway for immigration to Europe, according to Spanish media. For Spain as a whole, figures from the Ministry of the Interior show a 66.2% increase in the total number of migrants arriving in the country by sea or land between January 1 and August 15 (from 18,745 to 31,155). An increase that is mainly explained by the situation in the Canary Islands, since the number of arrivals in the peninsula and the Balearic Islands has, for its part, decreased by 11%.