Emergency responders rescued 136 Europe-bound African migrants from a boat off the coast of the Canary Island of El Hierro on Monday.
El Hierro, the second-smallest and most southern and western of the Canary Islands, is located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. The migrants were brought to La Restinga port in Spain aboard a vessel belonging to the Spanish sea search and rescue agency.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to begin a three-day visit to West Africa on Tuesday as his government grapples with a significant increase in migrant arrivals. AFP reports that Sanchez’s tour will take him to Mauritania, The Gambia, and Senegal, three key countries in the ongoing migration crisis.
It remains unclear what incentives Sanchez might offer, particularly to Mauritania, the main departure point, which he visited just six months ago, to encourage local authorities to enhance efforts to prevent migrants from leaving.
Madrid estimates that around 200,000 people in Mauritania are waiting to make the journey to the Canaries.
“In the end, it’s a pressure for Europe because they are arriving in Europe, in Spain, and not just on the Canary Islands,” said Fernando Clavijo, the regional leader of the Canary Islands, who met with Sanchez on Friday.
Clavijo urged the European Union to do more to ensure that the Canary Islands do not have to shoulder Europe’s migratory pressure alone.
The Canary Islands, and Spain as a whole, are often just a stopping point for West African migrants who are ultimately heading for France and other European countries, according to AFP.
Between January 1 and August 15 this year, 22,304 migrants reached the Canary Islands, a significant increase from the 9,864 who arrived during the same period in 2023—a rise of 126 percent, according to Spain’s interior ministry.
Across all of Spain, there were 31,155 arrivals by mid-August, a 66.2 percent increase compared to the 18,745 arrivals during the same period the previous year. With autumn approaching, the numbers are expected to rise further as better weather conditions make the Atlantic crossing more manageable.
Last year saw a record 39,910 arrivals, but current trends suggest 2024 will set a new record, confirming the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands as the main conduit for migrants, despite its dangers.
The archipelago is “on the verge of collapse,” Clavijo warned in an interview published Monday in El Mundo newspaper, predicting that arrivals could reach 50,000 by the end of the year.
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The Atlantic route is notoriously perilous due to strong currents, leading to thousands of deaths and disappearances each year as migrants make the journey in overloaded and often unseaworthy boats.
But the Canary Islands are not the only part of Spain experiencing a surge in migrant arrivals. The tiny enclave of Ceuta has also seen a sharp increase in newcomers in recent weeks, further highlighting the ongoing migration crisis facing Spain and the broader European region.
