Canary Islands migrant crisis: thousands arrive on El Hierro

Thousands of migrants are arriving in the Canary Islands. The situation is especially tense in the fishing village of La Restinga on the south of El Hierro: according to the website of the newspaper Heute, cayucos, the traditional fishing boats that people use to travel from West Africa to Europe along the dangerous Atlantic route, arrive there every day.

The island is overwhelmed

The island’s infrastructure was not built for such an influx. The small hospital is working at its limit, and so are rescuers, while public transport is also suffering: El Hierro has only about 40 buses. Fernando Clavijo, head of the Canary Islands government, called the situation unacceptable and urged Madrid to provide urgent support. According to him, the region needs rescue vessels, medical staff, a field hospital and additional police officers. He has repeatedly called the response of Prime Minister Sánchez a disappointment and accused the central government of ignoring warnings.

The political weight of the crisis

The events recall the migration crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. This summer, tens of thousands of migrants crossed the border there in a very short time; most went back, but thousands stayed and are still causing problems.

The Spanish government declared a state of emergency for the Canaries and set aside about 16 million euros (390 million crowns), but for Sánchez the current crisis has become a political powder keg. Spain holds elections on Nov. 29: the conservative People’s Party is calling for stricter border controls, while the far-right Vox party openly calls what is happening an “invasion,” the website Ecre reports. Sánchez, meanwhile, has to balance within his own coalition: his radical left partners demand respect for human rights, while the opposition and European legislation demand tough border protection and deportations.

Sánchez’s more liberal approach to migration, such as faster legalization of residence, meets resistance from conservative governments in Europe. According to the BBC, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other leaders criticize his model, which weakens Madrid’s position in Europe.

Transferring migrants to the mainland

To calm the situation, the government deployed the air force and flew about 300 migrants from the island to the Spanish mainland over the weekend. The opposition sharply criticizes the move: People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo claims the government is spreading the problem across the whole country. The Socialists disagree. Minister Ángel Víctor Torres stresses that the Canaries must not become a “prison for migrants” and that the whole country must bear responsibility. Moving three hundred people is pointless, the report says, because so many boats are arriving: sea conditions are currently favorable, and thousands of people from Senegal and Gambia are heading to the islands.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz