Walter Finch
SPAIN removed 2,515 non-EU citizens in the first three months of the year as Europe continues to grapple with a surge in irregular migration.
It is the fifth most deportations by EU member states – only France, Germany, Sweden and Cyprus carried out more.
The figure is almost identical to the number of people sent out of the country in the same period last year (2,570), according to new numbers from Eurostat.
Of those who were deported, 62% were forcibly removed from the country and sent back to their places of origin (1,559).
In Germany (3,950), Italy (935), Portugal (15) and Hungary (450), 100% of the 5,350 irregular migrants who were deported had to be forcibly removed from the respective countries.
All of the deportees from Spain received assistance to leave, either in the form of administrative, logistical or sometimes financial support.
The Canary Islands have seen a surge in the arrival of irregular migrants this year, with 2,600 landing between just June and August – a 19.4% bump on last year.
So far this year, over 31,000 migrants have arrived in Spain, 22,300 of whom arrived via the Canary Islands
Spain was well ahead of its Mediterranean peers in carrying out deportations, well ahead of Italy (935) and Greece (1,195).
Among those expelled, 530 were Moroccan, 265 Colombian and 155 Algerian.
Across the EU as a whole, 103,515 non-EU citizens were ordered to leave the territory in the first quarter of 2024 – a 7.1% decrease on the same period last year.
However, the number that actually left was much lower, at 30,570 – but still an 11.4% increase.
France led the way with deportations (4,205), followed by Germany (3,950) and Sweden (3,135) – accounting for over a third of the total.
The top five citizenships of third-country nationals ordered to leave were Algerian (7,670), followed by Moroccan (7,170).
The other nationalities were made up of Turkish (6,545), Syrian (5,400) and Georgian (5,165).
Of the ones who actually left the EU, however, Georgians were first (2,625), followed by Albanians (1,855), Turks (1,800), Colombians (1,305) and Moroccans (1,290).
Colombian deportations have more than doubled since the previous quarter.
The figures come days after a Guardia Civil police boat was filmed ramming and running over a small launch carrying four people in the Mediterranean.
The video, shared on X, shows a dinghy heading towards the coast of the Spanish enclave of Melilla with a Guardia Civil patrol in hot pursuit.
The police can be seen encircling the much-smaller Zodiac inflatable before driving completely over the top of it, causing its passengers to duck, with at least one seen flying into the water.
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A Guardia Civil spokesperson told Spanish press that no one was hurt in the incident, however the Moroccan Association for Human Rights branded the action by Spanish police ‘violent and dangerous’ and called for an investigation.
The campaign group said four people had been arrested following the skirmish before being handed over to Moroccan officials.
They are believed to have been attempting to enter Spain illegally, but any further details remain scant.
Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has vowed to support the creation of 250,000 new jobs in the poverty-stricken west African nation of Mauritania.
It is part of an effort to stem the tide of tens of thousands of migrants who attempt to reach Spain each year.
Sanchez started the week on a tour of Mauritania, Senegal and the Gambia, where the vast majority of migrants who attempt to reach the Canary Islands by small boat originate.
It is widely regarded as the world’s most dangerous migration route.
Shocking figures have revealed that 4,808 deaths were recorded in the first five months of 2024 alone, equating to 33 deaths a day or one every 45 minutes
On Tuesday, Sanchez met with Mohamed Cheikh El Ghazouani, the president of Mauritania, and announced a series of agreements designed to ‘disincentivise’ those who make the perilous journey to the Canaries.
