The number of migrants entering Spain illegally will surge by more than 80% in 2023, with a record number of migrants landing in the Canary Islands, official figures revealed on Wednesday.
The influx has strained the seven-island Atlantic archipelago’s resources and put immigration at the top of the political agenda in Spain, which along with Italy and Greece is an important entry point for migrants seeking a better life in Europe. It’s surfacing.
According to provisional statistics from the Interior Ministry, a total of 56,852 migrants entered Spain illegally last year, an 82.1% increase from 2022 and the highest number since 2018, when 64,298 migrants entered the country.
The majority of them, 39,910, arrived in the Canary Islands by boat after the dangerous crossing from Africa, an increase of 154.5 percent on last year and surpassing the record number set in 2006.
As restrictions tighten in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands route has become a favorite for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa, most of them on overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels.
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Boats depart from Morocco and further south from Mauritania, Gambia and Senegal.
The journey from Senegal to the Canary Islands typically takes a week, with approximately 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) of arduous upwind sailing.
To avoid the crackdown, smugglers make longer and more dangerous journeys, sailing west across the open Atlantic before turning north to the Canary Islands – many from the tiny westernmost el・This is a detour heading to Hierro Island.
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More than 7,800 people died or went missing at sea en route to the seven-island archipelago between 2018 and 2022, according to Caminando Fronteras, a Spanish NGO that supports families of shipwrecked migrant ships and missing people. It became unclear.
Last month, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez welcomed the European Union’s agreement to reform immigration law, saying it was key to Spain’s ability to better manage immigration and borders.
The package includes faster vetting of illegal immigrants, the creation of border detention centers and accelerated deportations of rejected asylum seekers.
TPE/DS/GV