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Date Published: 20/12/2023
Irregular migrant arrivals in Spain soared by 76 per cent in 2023
More than 30,000 illegal citizens have made the treacherous journey to the Canary Islands alone
Since the coronavirus pandemic began to abate, migrant crossings into Spain have continued to skyrocket year after year, and 2023 is no exception. As of December 19, a total of 52,945 people have arrived in this country irregularly, which is an incredible 76.2% more than in the same period last year.
This means that so far this year, 22,897 more irregular migrants have arrived in Spain by sea and land than in the previous year.
The journey by sea is perilous in the extreme and claims countless lives, but even so, 51,739 people braved the elements and entered Spain across the water, an increase of 86.2% (23,947) compared to 2022. These irregular migrants arrived on 1,684 small boats, known as ‘pateras’ when used to make the Mediterranean crossing and as ‘cayucos’ for those that go to the Canary Islands.
Of the total number of migrants who arrived by sea, 37,187 reached the Canary Islands, 140.4% more (21,721 more) than in the same months of the previous year, when 15,466 arrived. On the other hand, just 14,312 entered through mainland Spain or the Balearic Islands, which is still an increase of 18.8%.
Just this week, the EU has agreed an asylum deal that is aimed at reducing illegal migration with fast-tracked screening processes, but which human rights groups say will create a “cruel system” that cuts the amount of aid available to migrants and asylum seekers.
Ceuta and Melilla are both Spanish cities which border Morocco and have been the scene of many border breaches over the years. Following the 2022 incident that has become known worldwide as the Melilla massacre and which left 23 people dead on Spanish soil after violent altercations with police, land entries to the cities have actually fallen by 46.5% this year, from 2,256 migrants to only 1,206.
However, entries to Melilla by sea have gone from 153 between January 1 and December 15, 2022 to 180 in the same period this year. In contrast, crossings into Ceuta over the water have been halved.
Image: Accem
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