The Consell de Mallorca has raised the alarm over the excessive increase in the arrival of unaccompanied migrant minors to the island, which has risen by 625% since 2020. This was communicated by its president, Llorenç Galmés, in a letter sent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, urgently requesting the intervention of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) to strengthen border control in the Mediterranean.
The Civil Guard monitors Algerian migrants after intercepting a boat. Photo: Teresa Ayuga.
According to data provided by the island’s institution, 2024 has set a record for migrant arrivals in the Balearic Islands, with a particular increase in unaccompanied minors. Specifically, 368 children and teenagers have arrived in Mallorca without an adult guardian, meaning that three out of four minors in the island’s protection system are migrants who have arrived alone.
Algerian migration route to the Balearic Islands
Galmés has emphasised that this phenomenon is largely due to the establishment of the Algerian migration route to the Balearic Islands, facilitated by the breakdown of diplomatic relations between Spain and Algeria and the geographical proximity of the archipelago to the North African country’s coast. “We are facing a humanitarian crisis that requires the immediate involvement of the Spanish Government,” declared the president of the Consell.
Llorenç Galmés, president of the Consell de Mallorca, signing the letter sent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares. Photo: Consell de Mallorca.
In fact, “the Algerian route is the second deadliest of the past five years,” warned Galmés, who insists that Spanish and European institutions must act in coordination to curb this crisis and ensure both the safety of migrants and Mallorca’s capacity to accommodate them. Indeed, in 2023, a total of 434 migrants lost their lives on the Algerian route to the Balearic Islands, as reported by Mallorca Global Mag in its winter 2023-24 edition (link to the article).
National migration policy plan
For this reason, in his letter to Minister Albares, Galmés reminds that the central government has still not requested Frontex intervention to strengthen border control in the region, despite the agency’s executive director, Hans Leijtens, stating before the European Parliament in September 2024 that such assistance could be requested by the Spanish Government at any time.
In addition to Frontex’s involvement, the Consell de Mallorca has called for the development of a national migration policy plan that includes the Balearic route as one of its priorities. It also demands greater funding to manage the reception of unaccompanied migrant minors, the restoration of diplomatic relations with Algeria, and enhanced border surveillance to prevent more people from risking their lives at sea.
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