Support Our Work Mailing list About / Contact

Spain: Boat people

01 September 1996

Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

The arrival of African immigrants on small boats, "patera" (small, fragile boats used to cross the Strait) continued at an increasing rate through the summer. Almost every day several dozen people were reported to have landed, bringing the total to more than 1,500 by the end of September. Several women were among those recently detained, including one who was pregnant. On 23 August five Moroccans were arrested after crossing the Strait on a pedalo! The authorities frequently responded by returning the migrants to Morocco within 24 hours. The figures given do not include the many believed to have drowned in the Strait without reaching the Spanish coast, given the sea conditions and the unseaworthiness of the vessels generally used. The number of illegal immigrants detained in Spain since the start of 1996 is around 8,000.

Our work is only possible with your support.
Become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

 Previous article

Spain: Regularisation of immigrants

Next article 

Spain: in brief (1)

 

Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.

Report error

Statewatch does not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Registered UK charity number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust. Registered office: MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH. © Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals "fair dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law.

About | Contact | Privacy Policy