In Canary Islands, Tensions Are High Over African Migration
The Spanish islands saw a big increase last year of people trying to migrate to Europe by boat. After sheltering many of them in hotels, the authorities have set up camps and stepped up deportations.
LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, Spain — In a sunlit courtyard, volunteers at a church soup kitchen are handing out lunch bags and cups of fruit juice.
Arcadina Dámaso, the coordinator, says demand has shot up.
"Until December, a maximum of 50 people would come here," she says. "Now, we're serving 75. Most of the new ones are Senegalese and Moroccan."
The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of Western Sahara, have seen a surge of African migration. Last year, 23,025 people arrived on boats — 8 1/2 times more than in 2019, according to United Nations refugee agency data.
Stricter controls across the
