by A.P.
The Spanish Canary Islands saw over 8,000 migrants arrive in November, in what could be an all-time monthly record for the islands.
Spain’s Interior Ministry said 8,157 migrants arrived on the Canary Islands last month, making up a significant portion of the estimated 20,000 migrants who have come to the islands so far in 2020.
This year’s arrivals are upwards of ten times higher than landings in 2019, with the islands becoming overwhelmed due to the influx, according to a report from French newspaper Le Figaro.
The Spanish government will create temporary accommodation for up to 7,000 migrants after budgeting €84 million for the emergency project. Many migrants have also taken residency in local hotels as several remain empty due to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic hampering the tourism trade.
According to Le Figaro, the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic migrant route, have become a popular destination for migrants after the European Union negotiated agreements with Turkey, Libya, and Morocco to stop migration along the central and eastern Mediterranean Sea routes.