MADRID, Sept 19 (Askume) – The number of migrants heading to the Canary Islands is likely to rise again at the end of summer due to calmer seas and Atlantic winds off the coast of west Africa, local authorities said on Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, Spain intercepted four boats carrying 222 migrants, after Spain’s maritime rescue agency Platform X said 13 vessels had arrived at the islands this week carrying 780 migrants.
“The number of tourists has increased significantly due to favourable sea conditions,” Fernando Clavijo, the regional president of the Canary Islands, said on state television.
The influx of migrants to the Spanish archipelago of 2.2 million inhabitants has raised tensions between local authorities and the central government over the care of about 5,000 tiny migrants.
Spain says local authorities must provide accommodation for migrants under the age of 18, but the Canary Islands’ infrastructure is under heavy pressure and Clavijo has repeatedly called on the central government to aid other regions.
Clavijo said he hoped the left-wing minority government was close to a deal with the conservative People’s Party to allow underage migrants to cross into mainland Spain. A previous attempt at compromise resulted in the far-right Vox party withdrawing from a coalition with the People’s Party.
Popular Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo met Italian Prime Minister Meloni on Thursday. Earlier too he had praised his tough stance on immigration.
Data from Spain’s Interior Ministry shows that the number of migrants travelling from Africa to the Canary Islands in the first seven months of 2024 will almost double compared to the same period last year, reaching 26,758.
Last month, Clavijo said the charity estimated 150,000 migrants were preparing to cross the border from West Africa.
By comparison, the number of migrants travelling to Italy fell last year after the EU reached a deal with Tunisia .
Italy plans to open a migrant processing camp in Albania in the coming weeks .
