More than 30 boats carrying roughly 600 irregular migrants have reached Spain’s Balearic Islands since Monday, officials said, as a new route from North Africa gains momentum following tighter controls at other departure points.
While overall irregular migration to Spain has dropped this year, arrivals in the Balearics – which include Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera – jumped 170% in the first half of 2025 to around 3,000 people, with the number of boats, mostly departing from Algeria, more than doubling. Authorities say a growing share of migrants are from East Africa.
Konestory, a 20-year-old from South Sudan, told Reuters in Palma that he fled worsening instability in his home region. He paid $2,000 for a 46-hour boat trip from Algeria, enduring heavy waves, shortages of food and water, and navigational errors. “Now I’m happy. I’m looking at ways to talk to my mom to tell her I reached here,” he said.
Local officials warn the Balearics risk becoming a new gateway for migrants, similar to the Canary Islands, which saw 47,000 arrivals from West Africa at the height of that route in 2024. Arrivals to the Canaries fell 46% in January–July this year, largely due to Mauritania tightening border controls.
“Where is the government of (Pedro) Sanchez?” Balearic regional leader Marga Prohens posted on X, calling for more law enforcement resources and greater cooperation with Algeria. The Spanish government said last month it would boost the islands’ capacity to handle arrivals.
In recent weeks, Mallorca’s local media have reported cases of new arrivals left waiting in parks for hours due to a lack of shelters before being transferred by ferry to the mainland.