Canary Islands declare social emergency after more than 8,000 migrants arrive in five weeks

The number of migrants who have arrived by boat in the Canary Islands over the past five weeks has surpassed 8,000. In response, local authorities have declared a social emergency and are calling for immediate assistance from the Spanish government and EU institutions.

Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands, announced that Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, had agreed to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Interministerial Commission on Immigration.

The meeting is expected to determine how to handle the arrivals and the burden they are placing on local services and resources.

Regional government data show that, from November 1 to 6, 49 boats arrived in the archipelago, carrying a total of 4,587 migrants. Thirty-five of them headed for El Hierro, where pressure on local resources has been described as “extraordinary.”

Clavijo said he had informed Sánchez about the scale of the crisis on the island and the growing discontent among residents over the continuous arrivals.

According to the president, the Canary Islands have been requesting more resources, better planning and a coordinated government response to manage the situation for months.

“The meeting must enable both governments and the relevant ministries to adopt a joint action plan setting out concrete measures, clear responsibilities and implementation deadlines. We cannot wait for the situation to worsen before taking action,” Clavijo wrote on social media.

He also called for urgent meetings with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Magnus Brunner, the European commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, to discuss support from the European Union.

Authorities in El Hierro warn that the large number of arrivals is placing significant strain on reception capacities and available resources. They are calling for concrete measures and a joint response to cope with the influx.