A group of migrants walk in the port of Arguineguin to be assisted by the Red Cross after disembarking from a Spanish coast guard vessel, in the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, October 12, 2023. REUTERS/Borja Suarez/File Photo
According to the European Union’s Frontex border agency, irregular immigration to the EU from Western Africa has increased more than tenfold compared to the previous year, notably in January. Frontex anticipates a continued rise in overall arrivals for the year 2024, affirming the impossibility of completely halting the movement of people.
Frontex Director, Hans Leijtens, expressed these observations from his office in Warsaw, preceding a visit by the EU chief executive and the Spanish prime minister to Mauritania, a recent focal point for migration to Europe. Regarding the forthcoming June EU-wide parliamentary election, where migration is a prominent issue, Leijtens conveyed to Reuters that achieving a complete cessation of irregular arrivals was not pragmatic.
Leijtens emphasized the necessity of managing migration due to its global nature, asserting that unmanaged migration to Europe was untenable. He underscored the importance of implementing orderly procedures at the EU’s external borders as part of a comprehensive European strategy to address migration challenges. He also emphasized the significance of EU development aid to foreign countries.
In the previous year, Frontex documented 380,000 irregular border crossings, the highest figure since 2016, indicating a continued upward trend since the lows experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Leijtens anticipated this trend persisting in 2024, particularly with an expected increase in migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, while noting the uncertain situation of Palestinians fleeing Gaza.
While individuals fleeing conflicts have the right to seek asylum in the EU, the bloc primarily regards African migrants as labor migrants and seeks to control such arrivals tightly. Frontex’s January data, seen by Reuters before official publication, highlighted the Atlantic route as the most active irregular migration path into the EU, accounting for nearly half of the nearly 14,000 arrivals last month.
Overall, irregular arrivals experienced a slight year-on-year decline and a one-third decrease from December, typical for winter months. Conversely, summer months often witness higher numbers of arrivals. According to U.N. data, over 3,700 migrants lost their lives en route to Europe last year, with notable tragedies occurring off the coasts of Italy and Greece.
Anti-immigration sentiments have amplified across the EU since the significant influx of migrants, primarily Syrian refugees, in 2015, which caught the bloc unprepared. Notably, Spain’s Canary Islands reported record arrivals last year, reflecting enduring challenges that feature prominently in election campaigns with pledges to curtail immigration.
Leijtens stressed the importance of increasing the number of successful returns of failed asylum-seekers to rebuild trust among Europeans. He welcomed the EU’s new Migration Pact, aimed at revamping the bloc’s migration and asylum policies, but underscored the need for member states to enhance efforts in this regard.
Leijtens affirmed that Frontex does not possess a mandate to intervene in Albania under a new agreement with Italy to establish migrant centers there. Addressing concerns raised during his predecessor’s tenure, Leijtens emphasized Frontex’s commitment to upholding human rights, stating that violations would be met with consequences, as he aims to instill a human rights-oriented ethos within the agency.
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