Spain set a record in 2024 with 63,970 irregular migrant arrivals, highlighting challenges in the Canary Islands and reforms to legalize 300,000 migrants annually by 2025.
Spain set a new record for irregular migrant arrivals in 2024, with 63,970 individuals entering the country by land or sea, according to data from the Interior Ministry released on Thursday.
This marks the second consecutive year of record-breaking numbers, surpassing the 2023 total of 55,718, which was nearly double the figure recorded in 2022.
In 2024, the majority of migrants — 46,843 — undertook the perilous sea journey from northwest Africa to the Canary Islands. Tragically, an average of 30 lives were lost each day attempting to reach Spain, according to a December report by the NGO Caminando Fronteras. The report estimates nearly 10,000 fatalities on routes to the Canary Islands alone.
The president of the Canary Islands emphasized the region’s struggle to manage the influx, particularly with minors, noting that services are overwhelmed and unable to provide adequate care in line with human rights standards.
Spain’s Migration Minister, Elma Saiz, addressed the issue during an interview with Spanish broadcaster RTVE, stating that the government is working towards an agreement to automatically transfer young migrants to the mainland.
She also announced that Spain’s new immigration law, coming into effect in 2025, will legalize around 300,000 undocumented migrants annually over three years.
“2025 will position Spain as a model for inclusion and harmonious coexistence with migrants,” Saiz said. She also praised the EU’s Migration Pact, agreed upon in 2024, which will be implemented alongside Spain’s reforms in 2025.
The second-largest migration route into Spain in 2024 involved nearly 14,500 arrivals by ship to the mainland or the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean.
Additionally, over 2,500 migrants crossed into Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave, more than doubling the figure from 2023.
The U.S. government is introducing financial incentives for undocumented migrants to leave the country voluntarily, aiming to reduce detentions and deportation costs.
Dozens of Venezuelan migrants have been repatriated from the U.S. under a bilateral agreement with Caracas.
The Trump administration has revoked protections that shielded Afghans and Cameroonians from deportation, declaring conditions in their home countries no longer warrant the status.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela face possible deportation next month as the U.S. moves to revoke their legal protections.
U.S. officials highlighted new barriers and military support at U.S.-Mexico border near San Ysidro, citing a drop in illegal crossings.
Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, announced that India is opening up 200,000 square kilometers of its sedimentary basin for oil and gas exploration, inviting Russian companies to participate.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on May 16 that his country has started the process of joining the New Development Bank of BRICS.
Ministers in Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) are resigning one by one amid mounting protests in Tripoli, Libya Press agency reports
The US Supreme Court on Friday paused President Donald Trump’s attempt to carry out deportations using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, siding with a group of Venezuelan immigrants in Texas who argued they were at risk of sudden removal under the rarely used wartime law.
Two North Korean fishermen picked up by South Korean patrols in March remain stranded in the South as Pyongyang refuses to respond to requests for their return.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, with discussions reportedly focusing on upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war in Gaza will not stop until Hamas is destroyed, following the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander.
Qatar signed a landmark agreement with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing on Wednesday to acquire 160 aircraft for Qatar Airways, a deal valued at $200 billion. The signing took place in Doha during the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Türkiye for their first direct peace talks since 2022, with discussions lasting under two hours.
Vietnam and Thailand have officially upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership, marking a significant step forward in regional diplomacy.
Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, announced that India is opening up 200,000 square kilometers of its sedimentary basin for oil and gas exploration, inviting Russian companies to participate.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on May 16 that his country has started the process of joining the New Development Bank of BRICS.
Ministers in Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) are resigning one by one amid mounting protests in Tripoli, Libya Press agency reports
The US Supreme Court on Friday paused President Donald Trump’s attempt to carry out deportations using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, siding with a group of Venezuelan immigrants in Texas who argued they were at risk of sudden removal under the rarely used wartime law.
Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, announced that India is opening up 200,000 square kilometers of its sedimentary basin for oil and gas exploration, inviting Russian companies to participate.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on May 16 that his country has started the process of joining the New Development Bank of BRICS.
Ministers in Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) are resigning one by one amid mounting protests in Tripoli, Libya Press agency reports
The US Supreme Court on Friday paused President Donald Trump’s attempt to carry out deportations using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, siding with a group of Venezuelan immigrants in Texas who argued they were at risk of sudden removal under the rarely used wartime law.
Two North Korean fishermen picked up by South Korean patrols in March remain stranded in the South as Pyongyang refuses to respond to requests for their return.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment