Europe’s Migrant Crisis Erupts On Tiny Spanish Island

A tiny Spanish island has declared a social emergency after thousands of African migrants flooded its shores, overwhelming local resources and prompting urgent calls for government intervention.

Nearly 6,000 migrants arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands during the first ten days of November, with most landing on El Hierro, an island home to approximately 12,000 residents. The surge brought more migrants to the archipelago in just over a week than had arrived between January and mid-September, as tighter border controls and shifting smuggling routes redirected migration toward the Atlantic Ocean island chain, according to Le Monde.

These migrants came from various African countries including Senegal, Morocco, Gambia and Mali.

“The increase has been rapid,” admitted Chris Borowski, spokesperson for European border agency Frontex, per Le Monde. Local authorities declared a “state of social emergency” on Nov. 6.

The weather may be a factor in the uptick of migrant arrivals.

“Departures along this route generally increase in autumn, a period when sea conditions are more favorable for the crossing,” Borowski told Le Monde.

However, smugglers responding to route closures and disruptions by authorities may be a more apt explanation.

“Smuggling networks also adapt. When departures decrease in one area, they look for another,” Borowski explained to the outlet.

The emergency comes after INTERPOL arrested 262 individuals from 41 transnational organized crime groups implicated in human smuggling in the Mediterranean ranging from Oct. 5 to Oct. 8.

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