ARCHIVED - Police intercept 158 illegal migrants on 15 boats off Almeria coast

The coasts of Andalusia are the main destination of ‘pateras’, boats or dinghies for migrants from the African Continent trying to enter Spain illegally

The Guardia Civil’s Maritime Services in Almeria have had a busy couple of days as they have intercepted a total of 15 migrant boats in Almeria waters in just 48 hours, the authorities have reported.

Patrol ships caught nine ‘pateras’ on Wednesday with 83 migrants on board, and six vessels with 75 on board on Thursday. 

All of the migrants were escorted to Almeria port and handed over to the Red Cross for attention.

Once they have been Covid tested, they will be transferred by National Police to a migrant transit centre where attempts will be made to deport them to their country of origin.

This will only happen if their origin can be confirmed; if not, then the Spanish authorities are obliged to release them.

Algerian and Moroccan nationals currently account for the major part of these illegal immigrants at the moment and generally travel to Spain via organised criminal gangs, paying up to 2,500 euros a head for their transport. It is normal for the gangs to arrange for a receiver to meet the migrants on arrival and take them to a place from which they can continue travelling or where they are recruited for low-paid manual labour. Very often the migrants have borrowed money to make the journey and must re-pay the debt, so are forced to accept deplorable working conditions and low wages in order to cover their journey here.

Algerian and Moroccan migrants are all economic migrants seeking work, not refugees.

As the migrants have entered Spain illegally they are not allowed to work in the country, although many do and find themselves being ruthlessly exploited for low wages, often living in shanty camps or squatting in abandoned buildings in the countryside or cities.

Others continue their journey across Europe to meet friends and family already living in other countries, and some find themselves in French migrant camps, attempting to cross the Channel to the UK.

Almeria province is the latest destination to report migrant arrivals in a busy week of irregular migrants trying to reach Spanish shores.

62 irregular immigrants were rescued from five pateras on the Alicante province's coastline during this time, with the last 17 being intercepted off the coast between Benidorm and Altea, also on June 30. In the neighbouring Murcia region on Wednesday 14 migrants were intercepted off the Cartagena coastline and there have been several other boatloads in the Andalucía region, mainly in the Strait of Gibraltar this week.

Image: Archive