Fernando Clavijo, President of the Government of the Canary Islands (Gobierno de Canarias), on Spain’s National Day 12 October 2026, criticised the central government for what he considers an inadequate response to recent boat arrivals. He pointed to around 3,800 people arriving in roughly six weeks and warned of a possible increase by the end of the year.
The official figures so far paint a different picture for the year. According to reports from Spain’s Ministerio del Interior a total of 7,133 arrivals were recorded via the Canary Route between 1 January and 30 September 2026. This represents a 44.5 per cent fall compared with the same period in 2025. The authority publishes these figures on an ongoing basis, drawing on police reports. Regional media and news agencies have also recently highlighted that the islands El Hierro and Lanzarote accounted for a large share of this year’s arrivals.
Aid organisations and local specialist agencies view the recent movements as a seasonal phenomenon: in autumn, weather and sea conditions traditionally favour more departures from coastal areas of north-west Africa. This interpretation conflicts with Clavijo’s description of the situation as a “crisis”, which suggests an exceptional situation. The organisations warn against drawing premature conclusions from individual weeks while the consolidated monthly figures show a marked year-on-year decline.
A key issue in the debate remains the care of unaccompanied minors. The autonomous communities are responsible for their care. According to the regional administration, no additional staffing capacity has recently been added to the reception system in the Canary Islands, despite the expected autumn peak. Madrid, for its part, points to existing coordination mechanisms and transfer programmes within Spain, while the regional government is calling for faster redistribution and more support.
The political dispute is therefore between two levels of government: the head of the Canary Islands government is calling for short-term state measures in response to new landings, while national statistics document a clear fall in overall figures by the end of September. Reliable, regularly updated data are essential to assessing the situation. At the same time, the division of responsibilities between the Gobierno de Canarias and the central government, and preparation for seasonal fluctuations, remain ongoing tasks for the authorities involved.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).