A small boat with migrants arrives at La Restinga on the Canary island of El Hierro, Spain, on Wednesday Oct. 4, 2023. -

Last updated: 5 hours ago

Spain

Nearly 3,000 migrants have reached the island of El Hierro, in Spain’s Canary Islands, since the beginning of October. The small Atlantic island, home to around 11,000 people, is facing a sharp increase in arrivals along the Atlantic migration route.

At the port of La Restinga, boats carrying migrants continue to arrive. On October 22, more than 400 people reached the island aboard four boats that had departed from the African coast, according to maritime rescue services.

The increase has raised concerns among some residents, who fear growing pressure on local infrastructure and resources. “It’s not just 20 or 30 people arriving; there are a lot of them. There have been days when 500 have arrived. That’s why either we have to put a stop to all this, or I don’t know how we’re going to cope,” says Luis Andres Gonzalez, owner of a bar at La Restinga port.

A French resident who has lived on the island for four years also describes frustration among some locals, particularly over the cost of water and the perception that migrants receive free assistance.

Migration has also become a major issue in Spain’s political debate ahead of early general elections scheduled for November 29. The crisis in Ceuta, following the mass arrival of migrants from Morocco in July, has already fuelled opposition criticism of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s migration policy.

Spain's El Hierro Island Struggles With Rising Migrant Arrivals

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