Spain curbs irregular immigration due to the increase in Europe

While Spain managed to reduce the number of arrivals by 3.3%, Italy and Greece experienced an increase of 115% and 65% respectively, according to UNHCR figures.

At the beginning of June, an image that is repeated in the Mediterranean was repeated on the Spanish coast.

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A small group of fishermen found a migrant boat with 52 people on board trying to reach the Canary Islands. On board was a pregnant woman who did not survive the journey. Boats with dozens of immigrants have also arrived on Murcian beaches in recent days, one of them was an 86-year-old woman, according to the Red Cross.

Despite the fact that the Canary Islands receive an average of 100 migrants per day, Spain managed to reduce the number of arrivals nationwide by 3.3%.

This figure, published by the Ministry of the Interior, is not particularly striking, but compared to the country’s European neighbors it is.

Italy has seen the number of arrivals increase by 115% and Greece by 65%, according to UNHCR figures, and yet Spain has seen the number drop.

When Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took office in autumn 2022, she promised to solve the migration problem once and for all, but Rome’s supposed hard line on immigration has proven ineffective in stemming the flood of migrants. boats.

“Italy has registered the fastest increase in the number of arrivals, with close to 90,000 by sea since the beginning of the year, compared to 105,000 in 2022 and 67,500 in 2021,” Camille Le Coz, associate director of Migration Policy, told Euronews. Institute Europe.

Why has Spain reduced its figures?

Spain became the main gateway for irregular migration into the EU in 2018, with the number of arrivals doubling to 57,000, while the number to the EU fell to its lowest level in five years.

For the first time, the southern European country became the route most used by migrants trying to set foot on the continent.

But it was not the only year that broke records. In 2020, the second highest number of arrivals by sea in the last twenty years was recorded.

However, the trend is now downward. Irregular immigration fell by almost 70% at the beginning of 2023.

The figures were made possible in large part by a sharp drop in arrivals from Morocco following the crisis faced by the Spanish government after the Melilla fence tragedy last summer.

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According to the Moroccan authorities, at least 23 sub-Saharans lost their lives when they tried to storm the fence and enter Spanish territory.

This called into question the immigration controls of southern Europe and its relationship with North Africa. Several immigrants reported to the Spanish media that they were beaten by the Moroccan police.

Since then, the Rabat authorities have reinforced the border by building an intermediate stretch of fence a few hundred meters long with razor-sharp concertinas.

“Spain has maintained a cooperation with Morocco for a long time to avoid crossing borders. This migratory association has suffered interruptions in recent years, but it continues to be an important factor in explaining the fewer arrivals in Spain,” says Le Coz.

“However, migration routes are constantly changing and if the route through Tunisia becomes more complicated, dangerous and expensive – as could be the case given the Tunisian government’s efforts to curb migration – more migrants may try to cross into Europe through Morocco,” he adds.

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Is government policy the key to stopping migration?

With regard to migratory flows, there is no single reason that explains their increase or decrease. As the expert from the Migration Policy Institute Europe says, there are many factors that explain arrivals in Europe.

People leave their homes due to lack of economic opportunities, but also due to violence, discrimination and little confidence in the future.

Conflicts in the countries of origin, the activities of traffickers and the dangers along the route are some of the factors that determine the choice of the route to Europe.

But, without a doubt, government policies also come into play.

“Migration policies influence these trends, either by making some routes more dangerous and expensive, or by opening legal channels and giving opportunities for migrant workers to travel regularly to Europe,” explains Le Coz.

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In general, the number of migrant arrivals through the central Mediterranean has decreased, according to MSF.

“There is a clear increase in interceptions by the Libyan and Tunisian coast guards. Half of the people who tried to cross were returned to these countries in 2018,” said Raquel González, head of Institutional Relations at MSF.

Furthermore, “Italian authorities have reduced the size of their rescue zone and Frontex has prioritized containment over rescue.”

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