Dimitris Kouimtsidis
THE number of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants entering Spain has plummeted dramatically.
The closure of borders and the suspension of flights has had a massive impact on the migratory flow into the Iberian country.
According to figures El Pais has provided, during the first week of the state of emergency – March 16-22 – only 25 people applied for asylum, compared to 3,865 the week before.
This represents a staggering drop of 99.4%.
Throughout the EU the numbers of asylum seekers has dropped, with Spain number one on that list by a very big margin, with the Netherlands being second with a drop of 76.1%.
The vast majority of asylum seekers to Spain are Latin Americans, such as Venezuelans and Comobians, making the journey via plane, something which is now impossible.
Entries from illegal immigrants have experienced a sharp decrease as well, with only 93 cases last week, reports El Pais.
The week before there were more than 350.
The fall in arrivals of illegal immigrants and the impossibility of deporting them due to border restrictions has forced the government to open the almost 900 detainment camps nationwide.
According to the Home Secretary’s office, these centres remain at below 25% capacity and people are being gradually released, with many of them already having family in Spain.
