Don’t expect an end to Europe’s migrant crisis any time soon
Spectator (UK)Nov 28
Six Migrants Die During Canary Islands Crossing
Above: The Salvamar Acrux drags an empty cayuco upon arrival at the port of La Restinga, Nov. 19, 2024. Image copyright: Antonio Sempere/Europa Press via Getty Images
The Facts
Six migrants have been found dead, after four boats traveling from West Africa were intercepted near El Hierro, the smallest of Spain's Canary Islands. Five of the deaths reportedly occurred on a single vessel carrying 65 people.
The migrants reportedly came from several countries: Mali, Egypt, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, and Bangladesh. The vessels departed from Nouakchott in Mauritania about four days before arriving in the vicinity of the Canary Islands.
The Spin
Right narrative
The recent unprecedented influx of migrants has created an unsustainable situation for EU member states. Small, local communities are especially vulnerable to the effects of migration, which strains infrastructure and stretches resources to their limits. Irregular migration has become a particularly contentious issue, and more needs to be done by politicians to secure Europe's borders.
Establishment-critical narrative
Draconian EU policies are driving desperate migrants to pursue the most dangerous routes to Europe, including traveling across the Atlantic to Spain's Canary Islands, which are less closely monitored than other routes. Rather than letting the populist right-wing convince the electorate that those risking their lives for a shot at a more secure future are the enemy, the EU needs to come together with a more compassionate and effective strategy for facilitating legal asylum applications.