Spain's El Hierro Declares Emergency Over Surge in Migrant Arrivals

Authorities on El Hierro, part of Spain's Canary Islands archipelago, have declared an emergency and requested assistance from the national government in Madrid. The reason is a sharp rise in the number of migrants and refugees arriving by boat. El Hierro is one of Europe's main entry points for people travelling from West Africa.

Alpidio Armas, head of the island's governing council, told Spanish television on Saturday that local officials are very concerned by the steep increase. He said the emergency was declared to secure a framework of cooperation with higher-level institutions.

Numbers and conditions

According to local authorities, more than 3,300 people have reached the island on about 30 boats since the start of November. El Hierro has roughly 11,400 residents. Officials are looking for temporary accommodation for the new arrivals, while conditions at the island's hospital have become "undesirable", Armas said.

Fernando Clavijo, the regional leader of the Canary Islands, called the situation "absolutely unsustainable" on Friday, as quoted by Reuters. Maritime rescue services picked up 3,261 migrants and refugees off the Canaries in the first six days of November. Clavijo said the figures are approaching the record levels of 2024 and, on some days, the current pace is even higher. Buses have been diverted to migration operations, and medical staff have been brought in from other islands.

A deadly route

The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is among the world's deadliest migration crossings. Two people were found dead on a boat bound for the Canaries this week, and five others are believed to have died during the voyage, according to AFP, citing survivors. At least nine migrants or refugees have died off the islands in recent weeks.

Arrivals hit a record of more than 46,000 in 2024 before falling sharply because of tighter surveillance and closer cooperation with countries of origin and transit. Spain's Interior Ministry reports that 13,327 irregular migrants and refugees arrived by sea between January and October, 5.5 percent fewer than a year earlier.

Patrols off Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco have pushed departures further south, to The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea, making the crossings longer. Senegalese police said on Saturday they intercepted 142 migrants, including women and young children, off Dakar.