Three Migrant Boats Missing Near Canary Islands

Facts

• On Sunday, migrant aid group Walking Borders said three boats carrying at least 300 people went missing near the Spanish Canary Islands. The three migrant vessels were traveling roughly 1K miles (1.6K km) from Kafountine in south Senegal to the Canary Islands.¹
• Two of the boats, carrying roughly 50 to 65 people each, have been missing for 15 days, while a third boat carrying about 200 people departed Senegal on June 27. Family members of the passengers have not heard from their loved ones since they left.²
• The Spanish Coast Guard said Monday that it found the boat carrying 200 migrants 70 nautical miles (130 km) south of Gran Canaria and is sending a rescue vessel to assist the boat. However, the two smaller boats have still not been found.³
• It will take two hours for the rescue boat to reach the multi-colored Senegalese long canoe, called a pirogue. The Canary Islands have become a major destination for migrants coming to Spain, with 23K coming in 2020, and 7K in just the first six months of 2023 alone.⁴
• The missing Senegalese boats come amid a rise in dangerous migrant journeys from Africa and the Middle East to Europe. A few weeks earlier, an overcrowded migrant vessel sank near Greece, as 78 people drowned and another 500 went missing in one of the Mediterranean’s deadliest shipwrecks.³
• In the wake of rapidly rising migration from developing countries, European countries have bolstered patrols along the Mediterranean to reduce the influx of migrants. Despite the high number, migration to the Canary Islands is down compared to 2022.⁵

Sources: ¹The Telegraph, ²Reuters, ³BBC News, ⁴ABC News, and ⁵France 24.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Human Rights Watch. Spain has not done enough to protect migrants making dangerous trips to the country in search of a better life. Many people fleeing countries in conflict die during their journey to Europe, while Madrid does little to ensure safety during their trip. In fact, Spain has also implemented policies that will turn away asylum seekers and migrants, causing the most vulnerable to take even more perilous routes.
• Right narrative, as provided by European Conservative. Spain has already taken far too many migrants, and it should not take any more. The European nation is being inundated with illegal immigrants who are being illegally trafficked and exploited. There is nothing humane about an unrestricted migration system that enriches human traffickers, puts migrants in danger, and degrades the overall quality of life in Spain and other European nations.