Situation
The Canary Islands are witnessing an unprecedented rise in the number of migrants arriving. On the 20th October 2023 alone, more than 1000 migrants arrived on Spain’s Canary Islands. An increasing number of persons from Africa’s western coast are enduring this dangerous journey, according to the International Organisation for Migration. This has been prompted by the stricter regulations introduced to stop people from crossing the Mediterranean from Northern Africa. As a result, migrants’ arrivals in the Canary Islands have increased by 80% from 2022 to 2023.
Background
The Canary Islands, off the coast of Spain, are a major entry point for migrants arriving in Europe from Morocco and Senegal. Increasing political unrest in these countries has led to irregular and rampant migration. The migratory route of the Atlantic Ocean, also known as the Northwest African Route, connects Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, and the disputed territories of Western Sahara with the Canary Islands, Spain, forming one of the deadliest journeys in the world.
Owing to a surge in irregular migration in 2006, the Spanish government entered into agreements with the Moroccan, Mauritanian, and Senegalese governments to manage the arrival of migrants. This included the acceptance of third-country nationals who arrived in Spain into Morocco, the return of third-country nationals having transitioned through Mauritanian territory, and the permanent presence of Spanish security in Senegal.
Subsequent resurgence of the north-west African route after social unrest in Senegal in 2023 has led to an unprecedented rise in the number of migrants and the return of the “migration crisis” for the Spanish government. According to the local government of El Hierro, “Thousands of people in Africa are waiting to set sail in search of a better life, which means the crisis of migrants, and even refugees will increase in the coming weeks and months”.
A law simplifying the administrative procedures for unaccompanied children and juvenile migrants was passed in 2021 that allowed them to obtain residence and work permits easier on the Islands. Before the law, minors on the Islands stayed undocumented, without education and income, for longer periods. This reform has permitted a relatively faster application processing procedure for minors in the face of an unprecedented number of migrants arriving.
Impact
According to NGOs working in the Canary Islands, there are limited structures and human resources available in El Hierro and Lanzarote making it extremely difficult to host the migrants with dignity. Two reception centres on El Hierro have filled with adults and children crammed into small spaces while waiting for transfer. The local government of El Hierro has stated its incapacity to accommodate the migrants, “Besides being an empathetic people, with first-hand knowledge of what emigration is, we are not prepared – due to size, population and resources – to manage this number of migrants”.
Shipwrecks along the Northwest African Route are frequent, resulting in the death of over 1000 persons in 2023. Further, Spanish authorities are conducting searches for over 300 persons who have been reported missing after enduring this maritime journey.
President Clavijo further raised concerns over the arrival of minors, “We once again have more than 2,200 minors to whom you cannot give an education or integration. The magnitude is of such a volume that the only thing you can do is feed them and keep them there, with everything that entails”. Despite the policies for supporting minor migrants, managerial errors have resulted in adults in juvenile centres and young children in spaces intended for adults.
Current Action
According to reports by Reuters, Spain’s acting migration minister has pledged an aid package worth $72.7 million to support the Canary Islands’ extraordinary migration situation. The Canary Islands government have urged other regions of Spain to show solidarity by supporting some of the minors, however, the response has been negligible due to a lack of legislative backing.
Further action by Save the Children Foundation has recognised the EU’s holistic responsibility in saving lives at sea. The organisation has urged EU nations to improve search and rescue operations for the missing migrants, “Children continue to die at sea, unveiling the abject failure of the EU to allow children and families seeking refuge to reach Europe safely”. Yet, prominently, there is need for a comprehensive state plan to respond to the arrivals. While the failure of Spain’s prior actions has been witnessed on repeated counts in 2006, 2018, and 2023, it is evident that policy reform has thus far been inadequate.
Mismanaged accommodation and the inability to provide necessary support has considerably denied the children on the Islands with access to basic education. This is exacerbated by an absence of interpreters for the languages spoken by the children. Furthermore, there is an urgency to provide the children with familial support, given the extent of trauma the experience and absence of a family this induces.
While women are transferred to mainland Spanish facilities and minors are supported by the local authorities, the majority of migrants are housed in camps spread over three islands, largely facilitated by NGO workers. Organisations such as the Spanish Refugee Council have called on Madrid to transfer more persons onto the mainland. The Human Rights Watch has criticised government plans to keep people on the islands as a strategy for easy deportation, disregarding the humanitarian issues which face those there.
Vrinda Sahai
References
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67002541
https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/51591/canary-islands-overwhelmed-by-increase-in-arrivals
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/spain-migrants-canary-island-1.6884936
https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Lucia-Bird-Canary-Island-December-2022.pdf
https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/maritime-irregular-migration-canary-islands/
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/spain-s-canary-islands-see-nearly-900-migrant-arrivals-in-1-day/3009757
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/over-one-thousand-migrants-reach-spains-canary-islands-in-single-day#:~:text=Between%20Jan%201%20and%20Oct,to%20the%20Walking%20Borders%20charity.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/over-one-thousand-migrants-reach-spains-canary-islands-single-day-2023-10-21/#:~:text=ARGUINEGUIN%2C%20GRAN%20CANARIA%2C%20Oct%2021,vessel%20they%20had%20ever%20seen.
https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/50240/hundreds-of-migrants-reported-missing-en-route-to-the-canary-islands
https://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-10-13/why-is-there-a-new-surge-in-migrant-boats-to-spains-canary-islands.html
https://www.savethechildren.net/news/save-children-calls-eu-take-responsibility-save-lives-sea-following-reports-boat-carrying
https://www.politico.eu/article/lesvos-migrants-limbo-camp-canary-islands-migration-asylum-hotspot/
The Canary Islands are witnessing an unprecedented rise in the number of migrants arriving. On the 20th October 2023 alone, more than 1000 migrants arrived on Spain’s Canary Islands. An increasing number of persons from Africa’s western coast are enduring this dangerous journey, according to the International Organisation for Migration. This has been prompted by the stricter regulations introduced to stop people from crossing the Mediterranean from Northern Africa. As a result, migrants’ arrivals in the Canary Islands have increased by 80% from 2022 to 2023.
Background
The Canary Islands, off the coast of Spain, are a major entry point for migrants arriving in Europe from Morocco and Senegal. Increasing political unrest in these countries has led to irregular and rampant migration. The migratory route of the Atlantic Ocean, also known as the Northwest African Route, connects Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, and the disputed territories of Western Sahara with the Canary Islands, Spain, forming one of the deadliest journeys in the world.
Owing to a surge in irregular migration in 2006, the Spanish government entered into agreements with the Moroccan, Mauritanian, and Senegalese governments to manage the arrival of migrants. This included the acceptance of third-country nationals who arrived in Spain into Morocco, the return of third-country nationals having transitioned through Mauritanian territory, and the permanent presence of Spanish security in Senegal.
Subsequent resurgence of the north-west African route after social unrest in Senegal in 2023 has led to an unprecedented rise in the number of migrants and the return of the “migration crisis” for the Spanish government. According to the local government of El Hierro, “Thousands of people in Africa are waiting to set sail in search of a better life, which means the crisis of migrants, and even refugees will increase in the coming weeks and months”.
A law simplifying the administrative procedures for unaccompanied children and juvenile migrants was passed in 2021 that allowed them to obtain residence and work permits easier on the Islands. Before the law, minors on the Islands stayed undocumented, without education and income, for longer periods. This reform has permitted a relatively faster application processing procedure for minors in the face of an unprecedented number of migrants arriving.
Impact
According to NGOs working in the Canary Islands, there are limited structures and human resources available in El Hierro and Lanzarote making it extremely difficult to host the migrants with dignity. Two reception centres on El Hierro have filled with adults and children crammed into small spaces while waiting for transfer. The local government of El Hierro has stated its incapacity to accommodate the migrants, “Besides being an empathetic people, with first-hand knowledge of what emigration is, we are not prepared – due to size, population and resources – to manage this number of migrants”.
Shipwrecks along the Northwest African Route are frequent, resulting in the death of over 1000 persons in 2023. Further, Spanish authorities are conducting searches for over 300 persons who have been reported missing after enduring this maritime journey.
President Clavijo further raised concerns over the arrival of minors, “We once again have more than 2,200 minors to whom you cannot give an education or integration. The magnitude is of such a volume that the only thing you can do is feed them and keep them there, with everything that entails”. Despite the policies for supporting minor migrants, managerial errors have resulted in adults in juvenile centres and young children in spaces intended for adults.
Current Action
According to reports by Reuters, Spain’s acting migration minister has pledged an aid package worth $72.7 million to support the Canary Islands’ extraordinary migration situation. The Canary Islands government have urged other regions of Spain to show solidarity by supporting some of the minors, however, the response has been negligible due to a lack of legislative backing.
Further action by Save the Children Foundation has recognised the EU’s holistic responsibility in saving lives at sea. The organisation has urged EU nations to improve search and rescue operations for the missing migrants, “Children continue to die at sea, unveiling the abject failure of the EU to allow children and families seeking refuge to reach Europe safely”. Yet, prominently, there is need for a comprehensive state plan to respond to the arrivals. While the failure of Spain’s prior actions has been witnessed on repeated counts in 2006, 2018, and 2023, it is evident that policy reform has thus far been inadequate.
Mismanaged accommodation and the inability to provide necessary support has considerably denied the children on the Islands with access to basic education. This is exacerbated by an absence of interpreters for the languages spoken by the children. Furthermore, there is an urgency to provide the children with familial support, given the extent of trauma the experience and absence of a family this induces.
While women are transferred to mainland Spanish facilities and minors are supported by the local authorities, the majority of migrants are housed in camps spread over three islands, largely facilitated by NGO workers. Organisations such as the Spanish Refugee Council have called on Madrid to transfer more persons onto the mainland. The Human Rights Watch has criticised government plans to keep people on the islands as a strategy for easy deportation, disregarding the humanitarian issues which face those there.
Vrinda Sahai
References
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67002541
https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/51591/canary-islands-overwhelmed-by-increase-in-arrivals
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/spain-migrants-canary-island-1.6884936
https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Lucia-Bird-Canary-Island-December-2022.pdf
https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/maritime-irregular-migration-canary-islands/
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/spain-s-canary-islands-see-nearly-900-migrant-arrivals-in-1-day/3009757
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/over-one-thousand-migrants-reach-spains-canary-islands-in-single-day#:~:text=Between%20Jan%201%20and%20Oct,to%20the%20Walking%20Borders%20charity.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/over-one-thousand-migrants-reach-spains-canary-islands-single-day-2023-10-21/#:~:text=ARGUINEGUIN%2C%20GRAN%20CANARIA%2C%20Oct%2021,vessel%20they%20had%20ever%20seen.
https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/50240/hundreds-of-migrants-reported-missing-en-route-to-the-canary-islands
https://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-10-13/why-is-there-a-new-surge-in-migrant-boats-to-spains-canary-islands.html
https://www.savethechildren.net/news/save-children-calls-eu-take-responsibility-save-lives-sea-following-reports-boat-carrying
https://www.politico.eu/article/lesvos-migrants-limbo-camp-canary-islands-migration-asylum-hotspot/