Walking Borders warns: "The Algerian route is invisible and has doubled the number of deaths in one year."

PalmHelena Maleno, founder of Caminando Fronteras and migration expert, has warned that the migratory route between Algeria and the Balearic Islands continues to be "invisible and denied" despite being the busiest during the summer months and one of the most dangerous in the Mediterranean, due to the distances migrants must travel to reach their destination. "The number of deaths has doubled compared to last year," she said. This year, nearly a thousand people have lost their lives. Maleno is currently participating in a course taught by the UIB (United Nations Institute of Statistics and Census) on the care of migrants who arrive on the coasts of the Archipelago by boat. The expert criticized the use of migrant children "as political marketing," a behavior that only serves to "fuel the discourse of the far right." Regarding the government's opposition to accepting more migrant children, Maleno called for solidarity. "We must show solidarity with the Canary Islands, because the Balearic Islands could end up in the same situation, and then it would be the rest of the regions that would have to do the same," he said.

Maleno's visit to the Balearic Islands came after the Spanish government denied the Balearic Islands access to the migration contingency, which is the condition that allows a territory to request the transfer of migrant minors to other autonomous communities, considering that it does not meet the requirements, since it does not triple its ordinary capacity.

The human rights defender pointed out that the growth of the Algerian route is due, in part, to the shifts in routes from Tunisia and Libya to the west. "The route forces us to recognize that the Balearic Islands are a border and that more people should be served than they are," she said. "We have been surprised by the number of people arriving from the Horn of Africa, something that does not occur on other migration routes," she said. "Many come from Somalia and South Sudan," she added.

In Tunisia and Libya, she noted, sub-Saharan Africans are systematically persecuted, which is why they attempt to cross the Mediterranean from the Algerian coast. "These are people who cannot go back and must find a way. They often leave in bad weather, but they are people fleeing terrifying situations and must continue on their journey," she indicated. Maleno acknowledged that Caminando Fronteras was surprised by the high number of people arriving in the Balearic Islands from Somalia and South Sudan, two countries suffering from "terrible conflicts" but located thousands of miles from the archipelago. "The Algerian route remains invisible and denied, but it has been the busiest since the summer, surpassing the Canary Islands."

The increase in traffic on the Algerian route to the Balearic Islands, according to Maleno, has shown that "the same mistakes as with Ceuta, Melilla, Andalusia, and the Canary Islands are being repeated." "People arrive and live in the open; they are kept on the beach for hours because there is no proper first aid, due to a lack of medical personnel. Many migrants are shipwrecked people who have seen their loved ones die. What we must do as a civil society is confront the ignominy of public authorities, who are politically exploited."

Boats adrift

Maleno lamented the lack of involvement in the search for the boats that have been adrift in recent months. "The authorities were warned, and we don't know what search was done, because those who found them were boats in transit through the Mediterranean. There is a lack of protection from Maritime Rescue when it comes to migrants," he stated.

Once they arrive in the Balearic Islands, the care is inadequate. "Not only are police officers needed to activate immigration procedures, but humane care is also necessary, so that if they are bathed, they can change their clothes," he said. Maleno also lamented that the lack of housing and living conditions in the Balearic Islands mean that there are no available professionals. "If a boat arrives in Formentera and there are three doctors in the Emergency Room, all three are needed, and the hospital is left unattended," he gave as an example.