More and more refugee boats arrive in the Canary Islands. More than 1,000 migrants arrived on the islands belonging to Spain in a single day on Saturday. In Hierro alone, 783 people arrived in wooden boats, as announced by the Red Cross over the weekend. This represents a new record for the number of boat arrivals.
The previous record was held by a boat with 271 people on board that docked in El Hierro on October 3rd. On Saturday, 98 new refugees were recorded in Tenerife and 150 in Gran Canaria. From the beginning of the year until October 15, the Canary Islands received 23,537 migrants, an 80 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
The seven Atlantic islands have become the main destination for migrants from Senegal and other African countries trying to reach Spain. Other refugees try to reach mainland Spain via the Mediterranean. Milder weather and calmer seas in September, October and sometimes November generally lead to an increase in migrant arrivals. According to the EU border agency Frontex, political instability in Senegal was also a “push factor” that led people to leave the country via the West African route.
Spain has expressed concern about the increase in irregular migration this year. Euroland has already stated that it cannot deal with the situation without EU help. The migration route from the Atlantic to the Canary Islands, typically used by African migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, is one of the deadliest in the world.