Migrant Arrivals to Spain Drop 50%, but Canary Islands See 70% Surge

6 January 2020 – byGinette · 1 min read

Spain recorded at least 24,796 migrants in 2019, a drop of more than 50% compared to 2018. But this decline does not concern the maritime route leading to the Canary Islands, which recorded an increase of more than 70% in 2019.

These data come from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. They also speak of the decline in the number of migrants who died or disappeared at sea while trying to reach Spain. In 2019, 602 deaths were recorded, compared to 854 in 2018, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

As of December 15, 2019, 2,162 people took the maritime route to the Canary Islands, compared to 1,266 in 2018 and 1,307 throughout the year. It was only from June 2019 that the decline was observed. It would be, according to the Ministry of the Interior, the result of good coordination between Spain and Morocco, reports 2Ma.ma.

According to IOM data, at least 170 people from North Africa died or disappeared at sea while trying to reach the Canary Islands in 2019, compared to 43 in 2018, the same source specifies.

Category: Spain

Keywords:

Illegal immigration Spain