Rescued immigrants being held by the Guardia Civil in the Balearics. | Photo: Toni P.
Humphrey CarterPalma14/10/2026 10:08
A total of 17 migrants were intercepted on Tuesday night on board a small boat in Ibiza, bringing the total number of vessels arriving in the Balearics on Tuesday to seven and the number of people to 101.
According to a report issued on Wednesday by the Government Delegation in the Balearic Islands, at 23:40, the Maritime Rescue Service and the Guardia Civil rescued 17 North Africans at sea, aboard a boat two miles south of the island.
Prior to this, six other small boats had arrived in the Balearics earlier in the day, carrying 84 migrants, on the islands of Cabrera, Ibiza and Formentera. So far this year, 365 small boats carrying 6,642 migrants have arrived in the region, according to figures compiled by EFE based on information provided by the Ministry of the Interior and the Government Delegation in the Balearic Islands.
In 2025, 401 boats carrying 7,321 people arrived on the islands, representing a 24.5 per cent increase in the number of migrants and a rise of nearly 15 per cent in the number of small boats compared with 2024.
The steady stream of arrivals has strained local reception services and sparked a sharp debate between regional and national authorities. Balearic President Marga Prohens has repeatedly demanded increased resources and transparency from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, warning that the islands are facing a high-risk humanitarian scenario. Meanwhile, regional authorities continue to lobby for revamped national redistribution policies to alleviate pressure on local resources.
The vast majority of small boats depart from the coast of Algeria rather than Morocco. Human smugglers have switched operations to Algeria due to perception of lighter coastal controls and the deployment of faster transit vessels.
While many migrants are of North African (Maghreb) origin, a growing number are sub-Saharan and East African nationals who transit through Algeria to reach Europe. The crossing is highly perilous. In August 2026, 17 migrants tragically died after their boat spent 15 days adrift, and search operations remain active for dozens of others missing at sea.