The Diplomat
A total of 16,718 migrants have arrived in Spain illegally between 1 January and 31 July 2022, according to data released by the Ministry of the Interior. This is 3.3% higher than the figure for the same period last year (16,180), according to Europa Press.
This growth is due to the figures recorded for arrivals to the Canary Islands and Melilla by sea, as well as to this same autonomous city and Ceuta via the land border, which are higher than those recorded a year earlier.
Specifically, in the Canary Islands the growth is 27.3%, in relation to the arrivals recorded in the first seven months of this year. Thus, between January and July 2021, 7,531 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands, compared to 9,589 in the same period of 2022.
Meanwhile, in Melilla, arrivals by sea have grown by 71% compared to 2021. So far this year, 71 entries have been registered, while in 2021, at this point in the year, no arrivals had yet been recorded.
In addition, 1,122 migrants crossed the land border of this autonomous city so far in 2022, compared to 878 in the same period in 2021.
There has also been growth in this area in Ceuta, at its land border, where, according to Interior data, 600 migrants have crossed so far this year, compared to 363 a year earlier.
In contrast, arrivals by sea to Ceuta have fallen by 55.2%, with 52 migrants arriving in the first seven months of this year, compared to 116 in the same period in 2021.
Similarly, there has been a drop (27.5%) in arrivals via the coast of the Balearic Islands and the mainland: 5,284 so far this year, compared to 7,292 in the first seven months of 2021.
