Spain sees over 25,000 illegal immigrants arrive this year
Spain has surpassed the threshold of 25,000 illegal immigrants in just over five months, marking the first time such a figure has been recorded since illegal immigration data began being consolidated. Currently, Spain is the main destination for traffickers across the African continent.
According to the latest data from FRONTEX, more than 23,000 illegal immigrants (23,162) entered Spanish territory between January and May, with the Canary Islands accounting for almost 18,000 of these arrivals.
In June, the Canary Islands continued to receive boats from Mauritania (11), Morocco (18), and Senegal (2). Police sources indicate that over 2,000 illegal immigrants entered the archipelago in the first ten days of this month alone.
A drastic increase of illegal immigrants
With more than 25,000 illegal entries confirmed so far this year, Spain has seen an increase of over 140% compared to last year’s figures. This rise is even more pronounced in the Canary Islands, which have already exceeded 20,000 illegal immigrants in just over five months. This represents a nearly 260% increase in illegal immigration compared to data from 2023.
Consequently, Spain now leads Europe in illegal immigration statistics, having received over 36% of the continent’s illegal immigrants this year. This significant rise underscores the growing challenge Spain faces in managing illegal immigration and the increasing strain on its border control and immigration systems.
A Look Back at 2023
The year 2023 ended as the second highest year for irregular arrivals in Spain, with a total of 52,945 recorded as of December 15, 2023, according to Interior Ministry data. Although this is still far from the 2018 peak, when 64,298 irregular immigrants arrived, it highlights a significant increase compared to the same period last year.
Most of these arrivals (51,739) were by sea, which is an 86.2% increase compared to 2022. The Canary Islands saw the most significant influx, with 37,187 irregular immigrants, surpassing the 2006 figure during the “cayuco crisis” when 31,678 arrived. This marks a 140.4% increase compared to the same months of the previous year.
This significant rise underscores the growing challenge Spain faces in managing illegal immigration and the increasing strain on its border control and immigration systems.
