Over 700 migrants arrive in Spain's Canary Islands

More than 700 migrants have reached Spain's Canary Islands and the coast in the past day. According to the country's interior ministry some 3 thousand irregular migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in 2025.

Over 400 migrants reached Spain's Canary Islands, according to the Spanish Red Cross and local authorities. Spanish coast guards towed a wooden boat carrying 67 men, two women, and a toddler to the port of Arguineguin in Gran Canaria late at night. Local police counted the migrants as they disembarked.

In addition, five other boats carrying at least 350 migrants reached the coast of El Hierro.

The Canary Islands, located about 125 km off the coast of northwestern Africa, have seen a significant increase in migration, primarily from Mali, Senegal, and Morocco. At least 46 thousand people arrived through the increasingly dangerous Atlantic migration route in 2024, according to Spain’s Interior Ministry.

This is part of a larger trend in which Spain received almost 64 thousand migrants last year, a rise from 56 thousand in 2023.

While such crossings into the European Union fell by 40% from January to November 2024, crossings on the Atlantic route increased by 19%, according to the EU border agency Frontex.

The Canary Islands have become a key destination for migrants seeking to reach Europe, with the region struggling to manage the surge in arrivals.
 

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