A total of 281 migrants arrived in the Spanish Canary Islands archipelago in the last few hours in five boats, maritime rescue authorities reported today.
The first rescue was carried out 11 miles (about 18 kilometers) off the coast of the island of El Hierro, where a boat with 62 migrants was located.
There were 51 men, six women and five minors, including a two-year-old baby, according to emergency services, who had to transfer one of the migrants to a health center due to various pathologies.
Early in the morning, a boat carrying 51 people of sub-Saharan origin arrived alone at Armeñime beach, in the south of Tenerife, including 38 men, ten women and three minors.
In the waters northeast of Lanzarote, three inflatable boats were rescued consecutively at around 7:00 (local time), whose occupants were disembarked at the port of Arrecife.
On the first boat, there were 66 people of sub-Saharan origin, of which 58 were men, seven were women and one was a minor.
In the next boat, there were another 66 sub-Saharan Africans and in the third rescue, 36 North African men were rescued, including a minor.
Spain – with coasts on the Mediterranean and the Atlantic and with two cities that are enclaves in North Africa (Ceuta and Melilla) – is one of the European Union (EU) countries that directly deals with the largest number of arrivals of irregular migrants who intend to enter European territory.
The issue of migration and the situation in the Canary Islands has already led to two trips this year by the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, to West African countries, as the Spanish Government believes that the unprecedented numbers of arrivals are largely due to political instability in the Sahel countries.
Migrants arrive in the Canary Islands in precarious boats and make requests for international protection.
This issue has also led to political debate in Spain, particularly regarding the reception of minors, with the Government accusing the right-wing and far-right opposition of leading to overcrowding in reception centres for minors by refusing to transfer unaccompanied children and young people to other autonomous Spanish regions.
Source: rr.sapo.pt
