Spain’s Balearic Islands declared an immigration emergency in the popular holiday destination after a 70% rise in migrant arrivals compared with last year
MADRID – Ibiza and Mallorca are housing migrants in hotels and holding centres after the Balearic Islands government declared an “immigration emergency” in the popular holiday destination.
Between 1 January and 15 September, 5,465 migrants have arrived in Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, a 70.9 per cent rise compared with the same period last year, according to the Spanish interior ministry.
The vast majority have come in small boats from Algeria, which has become the new boom route for illegal migration from Africa to Spain.
This year to the end of June, France and Spain received the most asylum applications in the EU+ with 78,000 and 77,000 respectively, with more Venezuelan applications partly responsible.
However, overall, the number of illegal migrants arriving in Spain has fallen 31.7 per cent year on year during the same period, after Spain struck deals with Morocco and governments in Western Africa to tighten security.
Last week, the Balearics authorities declared a migration emergency in the islands in response to the increase in migrants arriving this year.
The Spanish government agreed to invest €6.75m (£5.89m) to pay for accommodation for migrants in centres in ports on Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera.
One of the facilities at the Botafoc port in Ibiza can house 120 people, while another facility in La Savina port in Formentera can temporarily accommodate around 50 people before they are transferred to Ibiza, where they will be taken into custody by the national police.
A 600 sq m modular space is also being developed to house migrants in the port of Palma, Mallorca before they are transferred to one of the state centres.
The Spanish government’s plan also includes paying for hotels if these centres are insufficient to hold all arrivals.
The budget also paid for translators, medical aid, food and water, healthcare and security.
After the housing crisis, migration is the second biggest concern among Spaniards, according to a survey published this month by the respected Centre for Sociological Investigations. It found 20.7 per cent of those questioned said illegal immigration was a worry.
Vox, the far-right party which is the third largest party in the Spanish parliament, with 33 MPs out of 350, has seen a rise in its popularity as it has campaigned for tougher controls on migration.
A poll for 40dB published this month found 17.4 per cent of Spaniards supported them. Among people aged 18-35, 30 per cent said they would vote for Vox.
In Mallorca, Vox has demanded for local people to have the right to veto migrant centres near their homes.
“Enough of this two-party system imposing the devastating effects of illegal immigration on our families without any support,” said Toni Gili, Vox spokesman on the Mallorca island council.
“Mallorcans have the right to be heard and to decide whether they want these centres to be installed in their municipalities.”
The APEAM association of maritime businesses, based in Mallorca’s capital of Palma, has objected to the temporary migrant reception centres being located in the city’s port, citing the reputational damage to the island.
“This compromises the port’s reputation, the competitiveness of the sector, and the international image of Mallorca as a leading destination,” it said, adding that in the high season when Palma received thousands of ferry and cruise ship passengers daily, “the first impression” should not be one that conveyed a negative image.
It has asked the Balearic Ports Authority to find an alternative location for these temporary facilities.
Meanwhile, Podemos, a far-left party, has called for hotels to be used to house migrants on the islands if there is not enough accommodation available.
Marga Prohens, the Balearic Islands regional president, warned in an interview in January with El Confidencial, an online newspaper, that the islands would become “like the Canary Islands” this year in terms of the number of migrants.
In 2024, a record-breaking 46,000 migrants reached the Canary Islands, about 7,000 more than the year before.
A spokeswoman for the Spanish ministry for migration said in a statement: “The declaration of a migration emergency was declared in August and ratified by the cabinet last Tuesday. Through the emergency [measure] the government [has] provided resources to enable temporary spaces on the coast.
“This means that modular spaces can be set up in Palma, Ibiza, and Formentera so that people arriving by boat can be cared for before being transferred to the mainland within 72 hours, as well as humanitarian care.”
