Some 52 thousand illegal immigrants made their way to the country via boats, the majority descending in the Balearic Islands, according to the Spanish foreign ministry. Compared to last year, this is three times as many undocumented immigrants arriving in Spain through seaways.
An estimated 6,300 immigrants made their way through the fences on Morocco’s border and into Ceuta and Melilla, 1,900 and 4,400, respectively.
In November this year, Spanish Foreign Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska travelled to Rabat, Morocco to negotiate the deportation of citizens of that country, especially children.
More than 12 thousand underaged persons from Morocco may be illegally residing in Spain and without any care.
Although the Spanish government previously supported the “open door” policy towards migrants, they have now decided to tighten their laws. In the last weeks, the Spanish foreign ministry has ordered several mass deportations of illegal immigrants to return them to Morocco.
