Spain's Balearic Islands Face Rising Migrant Numbers

Spain's Balearic Islands are seeing a lot more migrants arriving by boat. In just two days, 19 boats brought around 360 people to the islands. This is part of a bigger trend. More people are taking the Western Mediterranean route to Europe. This route goes from Algeria to Spain. It's become the fastest-growing way into the European Union. The number of people taking this route went up by 27% from January to October. This is compared to the same time last year. Overall, fewer people are coming into the EU. But this route is busier than ever. Smugglers are choosing Algeria over Morocco. They think the controls are not as strict there. They are also using faster boats. Most of these boats are heading to the Balearic Islands. A year ago, 40% of people on this route came from Algeria. Now, it's 75%. This shows a big shift. Relations between Spain and Algeria have been bad since 2022. Spain supported Morocco's position on Western Sahara. This upset Algeria. Recently, Spain's Interior Minister met with Algeria's President. They agreed to work together. They want to send back more migrants and stop smugglers. But Algeria has been taking back fewer migrants since 2022. The Balearic Islands are worried. Their leader asked Spain to do more to protect their borders. So far this year, 6, 280 people have arrived. That's 66% more than last year. But overall, fewer people are coming to Spain. This is mainly because fewer people are going to the Canary Islands. More migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are using this route. Now, they make up more than half of arrivals in the Balearics. Last year, it was only a third. This shows a big change in migration patterns.