Spain breaks new record for irregular migrant arrivals in 2024

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.

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