The Balearic Islands are experiencing a sharp rise in migrant arrivals, with over 1,000 people arriving in eight days. The regional government has called an emergency meeting with the mayors of the islands.
Spain's Balearic Islands are facing an unprecedented increase in irregular migration at the height of the tourist season. As of Wednesday (August 20), over a thousand people had arrived in the archipelago in just over a week.
The situation led regional governor Marga Prohens from the Popular Party to call an urgent meeting on Thursday with the leaders of the four island councils of Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca, and Minorca to deal with the situation that the governor said is unprecedented in the recent history of the Mediterranean archipelago -- and for which the region does not have enough resources.
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Prohens accuses central governor of ignoring the situation
In speaking to Radio Mallorca, the regional governor accused the central government of "washing its hands" of the situation and of implementing a policy of "open borders that encourages irregular immigration". She went on to lament a lack of support from Madrid, claiming that the central government "looks the other way and is still on holiday".
The emergency situation in the Balearic Islands has added to the complex issues Spain is dealing with in the Canary Islands, where the non-transfer of 4,500 migrant children to other regions of the Iberian Peninsula has led to court proceedings between the regional and central governments.
The governor of the Balearic Islands expressed serious concern over the protection system for migrant children, which, she said, "is collapsing" under the weight of constant arrivals of unaccompanied migrants, jeopardizing the entire assistance system.
Faced with the "entirely unsustainable situation", the governor said tougher measures would be brought in to halt what she said was the "encouraging effect" of arrivals on other migrants. She gave the example of ensuring that the age of minors is verified in a more certain manner in order for them to gain access to the country's protection system.
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Landings continue, 4,700 migrants since January
Migrant arrivals continue unabated: on Wednesday, at least 105 people on five large boats were rescued by Spanish vessels off the islands of Cabrera, Mallorca, and Formentera.
On Tuesday, there were 160 migrants who arrived, most of whom of African origins, in the archipelago on nine vessels, according to government delegation sources quoted by the EFE news agency.
To deal with the arrivals, the Balearic port authorities have set up temporary reception facilities in Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and la Salvina on Formentera.
Since the beginning of the year, about 4,700 migrants on 251 vessels disembarked in the archipelago, compared with 5,882 people who arrived via sea in an irregular manner in 2024, according to interior ministry figures.
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