The migratory flow to the Canary Islands from Morocco continues to channel three times more irregular arrivals than those recorded by the “Algerian route”. According to data from the Interior Ministry, cited by Europa Press, migration attributable to the “Moroccan route” to the Canary Islands has increased by 50%, compared to last year.
The same source reports 8,268 arrivals (out of 181 boats), up to May 31 compared to the same period in 2021. A number that triples the figures for the “Algerian route” to the Balearic Islands and other points of the peninsula, which has been reduced by 35% by registering 2,824 arrivals (in 274 boats) in the first five months of 2022, explains the same source.
Since March, when Spain announced a new stage in its relations with Morocco, arrivals to the Canary Islands have increased month by month: 431 in March, 697 in April and 1,644 in May, “despite the turning point taken by Spain by supporting the Moroccan plan for the Sahara”, writes the agency. These figures are still very far from those recorded by sea to the Balearic Islands and the Peninsula, from Algeria, with 29 arrivals in March, 551 in April and 609 in May.
Police sources, consulted by Europa Press, admitted that they could not rule out a “rebound in the arrival of boats from Algeria”. However, they will not expect “comparable figures” during the crisis between Madrid and Rabat, adds the same source, which specifies that the forecasts on the migratory flows are established with great caution due to several factors. “Neither Morocco, nor Algeria, nor anyone else has a button to pull or completely stop the flow of boats,” it is claimed.
According to police data, in 2021, 40% of irregular migrants reached Spanish shores from Morocco, 30% came from Algeria and the remaining 30% were attributed to sub-Saharan countries. The Interior also regularly reminds us that, thanks to cooperation with countries of origin and transit, 40% of departures are avoided. In total figures, the first five months of 2022 show a growth of 15.8% in irregular arrivals (12,531) in Spain.
