On March 18, the Spanish government approved a new reform aimed at redistributing thousands of unaccompanied minor migrants who have arrived on the Canary Islands. This decision is in response to the high number of migrants currently on the islands.
According to AFP, the new reform will allow regions experiencing an overload in migrant reception to transfer some of the minors to other regions of the country. Currently, there are more than 5,000 such migrants on the Canary Islands, but the islands can only accommodate 900.
The process of redistributing underage migrants in Spain has long been hindered by disagreements between the left-wing government and the conservative opposition Popular Party, which controls many regions. In 2024, the number of migrants arriving on the Canary Islands reached a record 47,000, an increase from the previous year.
In recent years, Spain has faced rising migration pressure due to increased controls on illegal migration routes in the Mediterranean. However, according to data from the EU border agency Frontex, in 2024, overall migration pressure on the EU decreased, despite the continued rise in arrivals via the Atlantic route.
