Spain Pressures EU for Humanitarian Support in Canary Islands Migrant Crisis

With facilities in the Canary Islands unable to accommodate more than 5,400 unaccompanied youngsters, the Spanish minister of territorial policy has called for an immediate “humanitarian response for underage migrants” in the midst of an emergency.

Autonomous regional institutions are in charge of handling underage migrants who are overloaded in Ceuta and the Canary Islands as a result of the People Party’s (PP) refusal to facilitate their redistribution to other areas. 

On Thursday, January 2, Spanish Minister for Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres declared, “A humanitarian response for minors is urgent.”

The minister cited record migrant landings in 2024 that have persisted into the new year to describe the “complicated situation” on the archipelago and in Spain’s Moroccan enclave. An additional 140 migrants reached the Canary Islands on January 1st 2025. At least two fatalities have been reported as a result of the crossings.

The failure of the progressive government and the conservative opposition in Spain to come to an agreement on the redistribution of more than 5,400 unaccompanied minors currently on the Canary Islands where the local government will soon be unable to host more migrants is at the heart of the controversy surrounding the territories of migrant arrival.

Additionally, the PP has voted against measures that would require other regions to welcome migrants. The far-right Vox party has threatened to revoke its support for regional governments headed by the PP if they sign immigration agreements with Prime Minister Sánchez’s administration which further complicates the position.

Also Read | Malaysian coastguard doubles patrols to locate undocumented Myanmar migrants