Spain gets help to bolster its border surveillance

TMP 24/02/2018

Photo credit: Frontex. A Frontex worker on patrol.

The number of African migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Spain soared in 2017 and is expected to increase this year, Europe’s Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex says.

Last year, some 22,880 migrants arrived in Spain, compared to just 10,231 in 2016.
Speaking to reporters in Madrid, head of Frontex Fabrice Leggeri said that his agency will increase efforts to curb the growing number of migrants reaching Spanish shores by supporting Spanish border surveillance.

“The bad news is in the western Mediterranean. Spain deserves more solidarity from the European Union,” Leggeri said. “A system in place in Italy and Greece to register those arriving will also be implemented in Spain.”

The system helps law enforcement authorities identify migrants and check their criminal records with agencies of other countries.

According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 2,583 migrants reached Europe via sea routes in the first three weeks of 2018. Around 200 migrants lost their lives en route in this same period.