The Spanish government has declared a migration emergency on the Canary Islands following a sharp rise in arrivals along the Atlantic route. The decision was taken on November 10 at an extraordinary meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Commission on Immigration, attended by Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo and President of the El Hierro Island Council Alpidio Armas.
Madrid has allocated €15.18 million to create additional places in state-run centers, as well as for transfers between the islands and to mainland Spain. The Red Cross will receive a further €1 million for initial assistance and medical care.
El Hierro Bears the Brunt
The pressure is greatest on El Hierro — an island with around 11,400 residents that has become the main arrival point in recent days. The island council declared a social emergency on November 6 after thousands of people arrived there by boat in the first days of the month alone.
The regional government of the Canary Islands said that between November 1 and 6, 4,587 migrants arrived in the archipelago aboard 49 boats, 35 of which reached El Hierro. On November 10, Clavijo said that the number of people arriving on the island in November had already reached around 7,500. The discrepancy between the figures is due to the different periods and methods of reporting.
“The situation is absolutely unsustainable,” Clavijo said, quoted by Reuters. According to him, local services are under heavy pressure, while medical teams and buses have already been redeployed from other islands.
New Rescue and Medical Resources
The Spanish government is sending the additional Guardamar Calíope rescue boat to the archipelago. This will mean that three of the five Guardamar vessels operating in the country will be stationed in the Canary Islands.
There will also be an increase in medical and police personnel, an acceleration of administrative procedures, and the transfer of unaccompanied migrant minors to other parts of Spain. The Canary Islands government and the central authorities will hold weekly coordination meetings to monitor the situation.
According to data from Spain’s Ministry of the Interior, 13,327 migrants arrived by sea in the Canary Islands between January and October 2026 — 5.5% fewer than during the same period in 2025. The latest increase, however, has been concentrated within a short period and primarily on El Hierro.
The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the most dangerous migration routes to Europe. Spanish authorities attribute the increase in departures to more favorable sea conditions in the autumn, while the local government is calling for stronger support from Madrid and the European Union.
Sources: aljazeera.com, lemonde.fr, efe.com