- Region
- Águilas
- Alhama de Murcia
- Jumilla
- Lorca
- Los Alcázares
- Mazarrón
- San Javier
-
ALL AREAS & TOWNS
- AREAS
- SOUTH WEST
- MAR MENOR
- MURCIA CITY & CENTRAL
- NORTH & NORTH WEST
- TOWNS
- Abanilla
- Abarán
- Aguilas
- Alamillo
- Alcantarilla
- Aledo
- Alhama de Murcia
- Archena
- Balsicas
- Blanca
- Bolnuevo
- Bullas
- Cañadas del Romero
- Cabo de Palos
- Calasparra
- Camping Bolnuevo
- Campo De Ricote
- Camposol
- Canada De La Lena
- Caravaca de la Cruz
- Cartagena
- Cehegin
- Ceuti
- Cieza
- Condado de Alhama
- Corvera
- Costa Cálida
- Cuevas De Almanzora
- Cuevas de Reyllo
- El Carmoli
- El Mojon
- El Molino (Puerto Lumbreras)
- El Pareton / Cantareros
- El Raso
- El Valle Golf Resort
- Fortuna
- Fuente Alamo
- Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort
- Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort
- Isla Plana
- Islas Menores & Mar de Cristal
- Jumilla
- La Azohia
- La Charca
- La Manga Club
- La Manga del Mar Menor
- La Pinilla
- La Puebla
- La Torre
- La Torre Golf Resort
- La Unión
- Las Palas
- Las Ramblas
- Las Ramblas Golf
- Las Torres de Cotillas
- Leiva
- Librilla
- Lo Pagan
- Lo Santiago
- Lorca
- Lorquí
- Los Alcázares
- Los Balcones
- Los Belones
- Los Canovas
- Los Nietos
- Los Perez (Tallante)
- Los Urrutias
- Los Ventorrillos
- Mar De Cristal
- Mar Menor
- Mar Menor Golf Resort
- Mazarrón
- Mazarrón Country Club
- Molina de Segura
- Moratalla
- Mula
- Murcia City
- Murcia Property
- Pareton
- Peraleja Golf Resort
- Perin
- Pilar de la Horadada
- Pinar de Campoverde
- Pinoso
- Playa Honda
- Playa Honda / Playa Paraíso
- Pliego
- Portmán
- Pozo Estrecho
- Puerto de Mazarrón
- Puerto Lumbreras
- Puntas De Calnegre
- Region of Murcia
- Ricote
- Roda Golf Resort
- Roldan
- Roldan and Lo Ferro
- San Javier
- San Pedro del Pinatar
- Santiago de la Ribera
- Sierra Espuña
- Sucina
- Tallante
- Terrazas de la Torre Golf Resort
- Torre Pacheco
- Totana
- What's On Weekly Bulletin
- Yecla
- EDITIONS: Spanish News Today Alicante Today Andalucia Today
ARCHIVED - Six further boatloads of Algerian migrants add 73 to weekend total
This brings the total of irregular migrants to 132 for the weekend
Image; Cruz Roja humanitarian aid
During the last week the Region of Murcia has continued to receive boatloads of irregular migrants from Algeria, as migrant transit centres and the borders of Algeria and Morocco remain closed, so Spain is unable to repatriate arrivals on Spanish shores through the normal channels.
This year the number of migrations to Spain has been lower than normal, due prinicipally to the restrictions caused by Covid-19, but in recent weeks there has been an upsurge in activity as organised crime gangs take advantage of the opportunity to bring increased numbers of economic migrants into Spain.
The desire to seek a better life and try to find employment is understandable, as unemployment is high in Algeria, the country is suffering from severe economic problems, and opportunities, particularly for young people, are extremely limited. Political opposition against the current régime has lead to public protests and an increased level of dissatisfaction within the country, leading many particularly young people to look at Europe as potentially offering better opportunities.
The number of crossings by Algerians has increased dramatically recently; the Frontex border force said last week about crossings on the Western mediterranean route “There were around 1 500 detections of illegal border crossings in the Western Mediterranean in July, 84% more than in the previous month.Despite the rise last month, the total for the first seven months of 2020, was less than half the figure from the same period in the previous year at 6 100.
The number of Algerians, who accounted for one out of every two detections on this route this year, was seven times the figure from a year ago. “
All of the migrants intercepted recently off the Murcian coast have been Algerians.
This latest batch of boats comprised 73 people in six boats on Sunday, bringing the total of irregular migrants arriving in the Region of Murcia to 132 in two days, four of the vessels intercepted southeast of the Monte de las Cenizas regional park, in Cartagena, while the other two were located off the coasts of Cartagena and Águilas. All of those intercepted were taken to the port of Escombreras and handed over to the National Police and the Red Cross for PCR testing, the results of which will be available in around 48 hours.
Until then, the immigrants will be isolated with the travelling companions from their specific boat, and should any prove to be Covid positive, they will be hospitalised and their travelling companions quarantined for 14 days.
A busy week for Cruz Roja and the coastguard:
Last Friday evening and Saturday morning twelve boats containing a total of 138 migrants were detected off the Cartagena coastline.
3 of the migrants had to be rescued by firemen and a helicopter from the regional CEIS fire and rescue service after their boat landed in a rocky area with poor access and they attempted to climb Monte de las Cenizas.
The two men and one woman had to be airlifted from the side of the mountain.
Seven of the new arrivals later tested positive for covid.
As the week wore on there were four further lots of arrivals; on Wednesday evening 37 migrants reached Murcia in three boats; on Wednesday morning ten out of 30 were detained after a boat landed on El Portús beach at 11am in the morning and its occupants scattered in the surrounding coutryside, much to the surprise of beachgoers. Police only managed to locate 10 of the 30 in the boat, three of whom tested positive for covid. The others were never located.
On Thursday evening a further 48 migrants arrived in four boats. The interceptions took place after 10 pm, when four boats with 8, 11, 14 and 15 irregular migrants on board, respectively, were sighted southeast of Monte de las Cenizas, in Cartagena.
On Friday evening and the early hours of Saturday morning, a further six boats containing 81 migrants were detected off the Murcian coastline.
NB: The migrants are referred to as “irregular immigrants” by the EU; the Spanish media tend to call them “sin papeles” meaning those with no paperwork entering the country illegally, others refer to them as illegal migrants. The phrase irregular migrants is used on MT in an attempt to convey that these are not refugees, but economic migrants, in this case from Algeria, entering Spain and the EU in an illegal fashion, without passports or documentation and without any legal right to enter the EU as Algeria is not an EU member and there is no migration agreement between the two countries.
Donate to Cruz Roja; Humanitarian work to ensure those arriving in Spain are treated with dignity is undertaken by the humanitarian organisation Cruz Roja. If you would like to donate, here is the link: Cruz Roja Española
Further reading
EU Action plan against Migrant Smuggling 2015/2020 Click to read
EU Directive f2008/115/EC Common standards and procedures in EU Member States for returning illegally staying third country nationals. Click to read
FRONTEX european coast guard and border control agency. This explains more about the migration issue and shows the different routes taken. Our routes here are the "Western Mediterranean" routes used principally by Moroccans And Algerians.Click Frontex