Canary Islands invite Ursula von der Leyen to witness migrant crisis firsthand

A person dies every 45 minutes on the Atlantic crossing to the Archipelago, according to the Canary Islands government spokesperson.

Transcript

00:00The dramatic increase of migrants to Spain's Canary Islands has prompted calls for action.

00:15This was the announcement from the Canarian government in response to a 126%

00:20increase in dinghies arriving from Africa. As of early August, over 22,300 people have been

00:27recorded.

00:46More than 4,800 people have died this year across the Atlantic,

00:51making it the deadliest migratory route.

00:58The ocean swallows the lives of those who try to reach Europe in crossings of up to a week.

01:03They risk their lives for several reasons.

01:22Lala is a lawyer specialised in migration.

01:27She is one of the professionals who assists those who arrive disoriented to the island of Lanzarote.

01:51The situation is further complicated with migrant minors arriving alone.

01:56In order to refer them to other parts of Spain, they have to have the approval of those territories.

02:02Canarias is assuming more than 6,000 minors arriving alone,

02:06not to mention other centres of minors, because the rest of the autonomous communities are not

02:10willing to do so. This means that the minors are trapped in Canarias.

02:17Trapped and suffocated because the authorised centres cannot cope.

02:22In one year, the islands have gone from 36 centres to 81.

02:32Experts say that in addition to diplomacy, there is a need for policies in the countries of origin

02:38to improve the lives of these people.

02:40The visit of President Sánchez to the emitting countries aims to stop the migratory flow to Canarias.

02:46It is a migratory flow that leaves this other image, that of the cemeteries of Cayucos,

02:52a tangible reality that the neighbours of Reinaga see every day.

02:56From Gran Canaria for Euronews, Efren Hernández.

03:02Euronews.com