The declassified documents from the Interior do not warn of a "high risk" of migrant arrivals in the Balearic Islands
The Government questions that the Spanish executive has delivered all the information about the territory
PalmaThe declassification of documents related to the Ceuta crisis by the Ministry of the Interior contains no report warning of a "high risk" of migrant arrivals in the Balearic Islands. Nevertheless, the PP has registered a written request in the Lower House demanding more data, and the Director General of Immigration, Manuel Pavón, has accused members of the Spanish government of "declassifying what interests them".
The clash between administrations began last Thursday, when the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said in Congress that he had received information about this risk, but pointed out that he was referring to the small boats heading to the coast of the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. The very next day, Prohens called an urgent press conference and made a institutional declaration in which she accused Sánchez of hiding the danger from the Government: "We are talking about our security", she added.
In the 40 documents regarding the situation in Ceuta published this Wednesday by the Ministry of the Interior, this supposed risk is not mentioned. The main mention of the Islands in the documents concerning the Ceuta crisis is a report on the arrival of migrants by small boat. Issued by the National Center for Immigration and Borders (CENIF) of the National Police, it specifies that the Islands registered the arrival of 3,723 migrants in 2026 between July 16 and July 22, compared to 3,445 in the same period of 2025, which represents an 8% increase. It also details that these individuals arrived aboard 195 vessels, while in 2025 there were 179 (a 9% increase). The Islands appear again in a testimonial manner in another document, which explains that between January 1 and June 30, 9,547 migrants arrived on the Peninsula, the Islands, and the Canary Islands, 44% more than in the same period of 2025.
Algeria, a prominent point of origin
The documents do refer to Algeria as the main source of irregular departures to Spain by sea. In total, 5,501 people arrived during the first half of 2026 from Algeria to the Peninsula, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands, which represents an increase of 29% (1,222 people) compared to the same period in 2025. The declassified documents, prepared by state security forces and bodies, also detail that Algeria receives constant pressure from migrants entering through its southern borders, mainly Mali and Niger, and that the country's authorities are trying to contain these flows and expel the migrants waiting to embark for Spain to the south. On the other hand, they warn that instability in southern Libya may encourage more migrants to choose Algeria as a transit route to Spain. This fact directly affects the Islands, because there is a consolidated route between this country and the Balearic Islands.
In parallel, an intelligence report from the Armed Forces Intelligence Center refers to a trip by the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, to Algeria on July 20, 2026. On one hand, it indicates that the visit had been tolerated by Morocco, whose role in containing the thousands of people who crossed the border into Ceuta on July 29 remains unclear. However, the intelligence assessment explicitly warns that "it cannot be ruled out that there is a certain level of discontent in the Makhzen – the power structure surrounding the Moroccan crown – related to the Prime Minister's visit to Algeria". Be that as it may, the report does not establish any causal relationship between this discontent and the crisis in Ceuta.
Confirms the trend of the biweekly reports
Consulted by ARA, the Ministry did not respond by the time this edition closed as to whether there are more reports that speak specifically about the Islands and that have not been included in the declassification. However, the Director General of Immigration, Manuel Pavón, has admitted that the declassified information about the Islands does not provide information that deviates from what the Government already knew from the fortnightly reports on irregular immigration published by the Ministry of the Interior. The latest report, corresponding to the period from January 1st to August 31st, 2026, details that 4,934 migrants arrived in the Islands aboard 261 boats, while in the same period of 2025, 4,852 people were registered on 258 boats.