Between last Saturday and Wednesday, the arrival of migrants aboard small boats from Algeria to the coasts of the Pitiusas and other parts of the Balearic Islands, Andalusia, Murcia and Alicante, has been non-stop. In the Balearic Islands alone the arrival of some 300 people was recorded in these three days. It is estimated that last weekend more than a thousand Algerians have left their country illegally in unsafe boats.
This is a new wave of migrants crossing the sea to reach, in most cases, countries such as France or Belgium. This illegal migration has intensified in the last two years and is a response to the difficult living conditions of the Algerian population, who are going through a deep economic and social crisis. The situation worsened with the covid pandemic and the closure of borders by the Maghreb countries, which made it impossible for Spain to return migrants and which in addition had closed its detention centres (CIEs) because of Covid.
Now “a window has been opened”, according to the government delegate in the Balearic Islands, Aina Calvo, which will allow the return of migrants, “although the borders with Algeria remain closed”, she said.
This was evidenced by the fact that the first 41 migrants who arrived on the coasts of Ibiza and Formentera last Saturday were brought before a judge, who detained them and ordered them to be sent to the Immigrant Detention Centre (CIE) in Valencia, then to be returned to their country of origin. All of them left Ibiza on a flight to Valencia yesterday afternoon.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.