During the year 2024, the migratory route between Algeria and the Balearic Islands was migratory route between Algeria and the Balearic Islands. And Formentera has become the major point of entry for immigrants: the smaller Pitiusa received almost 50% of the people arriving in small boats.
According to data from the Government Delegation accessed by La Voz de Ibiza, in the last 12 months 5,596 people have arrived to the Balearic Islands in 333 small boats. These figures far exceed what has been registered in recent years, especially what happened in 2022, which until now was the record year with the highest influx of immigrants. During 2024, Formentera received 162 boats with 2,580 immigrants. While 21 boats with 330 people arrived in Ibiza.
These statistics quadruple last year’s numbers in Formentera, in which 35 boats with 489 people were registered. While in the case of Ibiza is multiplied by three: in 2023 received 133 immigrants in 9 illegal boats.
Concern
The president of the Govern, Marga Prohens, has criticized the “total lack of control” in the arrival to the islands of irregular immigrants in small boats. And she has pointed out that this is due to “the lack of troops of the State Security Forces and Corps (FFCCSE)”. According to Prohens “the lack of FFCCSE troops is linked to the difficulties to control the worrying crime data in the Balearic Islands” and “as a Government, we can only share the concern that this brings to citizens”, especially “when” migrants arriving on the shores of the Islands “face them with defiant and obscene gestures”.
For this reason, in a bilateral meeting held at La Moncloa Palace at the Palace of La MoncloaThe president of the Government has demanded the head of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez, a “change” in the strategy of Spain’s immigration policy, beyond the transfer of migrantminors arriving on Spanish shores, calling for the reestablishment of relations with Algeria.
Balance
2024: 333 boats and 5,596 immigrants
2023: 137 boats and 2,194 migrants 2022: 176 boats and 2,637 migrants 2021: 164 boats and 2,402 migrants 2020: 112 boats and 1,464 migrants
Fatal route
A total of 10,457 people died in 2024 in their attempt to reach Spanish coasts, an average of almost 30 per day and an increase of 58 percent over the previous year.
According to the Right to Life Monitoring 2024 report, published by Caminando Fronteras, at least 517 people lost their lives along the Algeria-Balearic Islands route in 2024.
