Over the past two days, 19 boats carrying about 360 people reached the Balearics, officials said. The Western Mediterranean route, primarily used by migrants departing Algeria, has become the fastest-growing entry path into the European Union this year.
Data from EU border agency Frontex shows that arrivals via this route rose 27% between January and October compared with the same period last year, even as overall EU arrivals fell by 22%.
Frontex spokesperson Chris Borowski said traffickers were moving operations from Morocco to Algeria, where controls are perceived to be weaker. “We are certainly seeing a shift towards Algeria being a more active transit country and country of origin,” he said. Departures from Algeria now account for 75% of crossings on the Western Mediterranean route, up from 40% last year.
Tensions between Spain and Algeria have contributed to the surge. Relations soured in 2022 when Madrid backed Morocco’s position on Western Sahara, prompting Algiers to scale back cooperation. Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune last month to discuss improving deportation processes and curbing smuggling networks.
Despite the talks, deportations of irregular Algerian migrants from Spain have declined since 2022, according to the Interior Ministry.
In the Balearic Islands, regional leader Marga Prohens has called on the national government to “protect our borders” as arrivals continue to climb. Irregular arrivals to the islands rose 66% year-on-year to 6,280 people by October, Spanish data shows.
While total migrant arrivals to Spain have dropped 36% this year, mainly due to lower numbers reaching the Canary Islands, more migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are choosing the Western Mediterranean route. They now represent over half of all arrivals in the Balearics, compared with a third last year, according to the Spanish government’s representative in the archipelago, Alfonso Rodriguez.