It may not seem like it to many Spaniards and other Europeans, but the African migrants’ number reaching the European shores by crossing the Mediterranean Sea has declined this year from its peak in 2015, of more than a million.
This year, it’s around 77,000, reports the International Organization for Migration, the UN’s migration agency. Almost 43 percent of them have visited Spain, making this nation a top destination for international tourism, traditionally also a top destination for African migrants.
This has strained ability of Spain to manage the rush, as national and local officials have scrambled to find lodging, food and supplies on a temporary basis for the newly arrived.
Sailing all across the Strait of Gibraltar has turned out to the preferred route lately for migrants – and the smugglers who take money from them for a place in a flimsy boat – because Italy’s far-right government and some other European nations have limited their entry.
Around 21,000 migrants have made it into Italy till now this year, in comparison to 102,000 in 2017, the UN’s migration agency reports.
As Italy constricts its immigration policies, Spain’s Socialist government, which took office in June, at first had a more open-door policy. However, as the summer wore on, it also tightened somewhat.
Tags: spain
