Canary Islands receive over 9,000 migrants since November began

Developing story first seen 4 hours ago

Al Jazeera · 4 hours ago

More than 9,000 people have reached Spain’s Canary Islands since the start of November, prompting Spain to declare a migration emergency. The latest arrivals have set a record for the 32 years that statistics have been collected, increasing pressure on the islands’ reception system.

Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service said it rescued 1,488 people from 14 boats on Saturday, mostly arriving on El Hierro; one boat carried 240 people, including 36 children. Many depart from West Africa in overcrowded wooden fishing boats, and the International Organization for Migration recorded at least 450 deaths on the Atlantic route in the first ten months of 2026. The EU’s new asylum and migration rules took effect in June, but crossings to Spain have continued.

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In short

More than 9,000 migrants have reached the Canary Islands since November began.
Saturday’s 1,488 rescues set a record for a single day.
The Atlantic crossing remains deadly, with at least 450 deaths recorded this year.

How this story developed

29 minutes ago Authorities reported that most new arrivals came from West Africa and were processed on El Hierro before transfer elsewhere, while the EU’s June asylum rules had not stopped the crossings.
36 minutes ago More than 9,000 people reached Spain’s Canary Islands in the first days of November, prompting a migration emergency declaration and putting unprecedented strain on reception services.