Spain: Record number of migrant deaths
01 January 2005
A report by the
Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de Andalucía (APDHA, Andalusian Human Rights Association) entitled
Illegal Immigration in 2004 highlights that last year saw the highest number of deaths of migrants attempting the sea-crossing into Spain that has been recorded in the last ten years.
The figure of verified deaths is 289, although the APDHA estimates that 500 people may have died. The most dangerous points, when the most deaths occur, were either immediately after leaving the Moroccan or Western Saharan coast (103 deaths), or during open sea interception and rescue operations (71 deaths) after the dinghies have been spotted by the
Sistema Integral de Vigilancia Exterior (SIVE, Integrated External Surveillance System), which includes radar and infra-red camera facilities. These latter deaths are claimed to be a result of the very "philosophy" of early interception that the SIVE is implementing which, furthermore, relies on launches that are unsuitable for open sea rescue operations.
The SIVE's effects on migration flows include an increase in the number of immigrants attempting the sea crossing to the Canary Islands (which is longer and more dangerous), where there have been 137 deaths, rather than the Andalusian coast, where 25 would-be migrants have died. The report highlights that investment into the SIVE is constantly growing, and that it is being expanded to cover increasingly large areas of the coast (both in Andalusia and in the Canary Islands). Investment into the SIVE for 2003 was over 29 million euro, a figure that rose to over 32 million euro in 2004. The figure continues to rise in spite of the change in government, with a planned expenditure for 2005 of over 40 million euro just in Andalusia, with a further 12 million to be allocated for its development and running costs in the Canary Islands.
Expenditure aimed at carrying out repatriations also rose by 120% in 2004, with flights chartered and new repatriation agreements signed with African countries, and the budget for obstructing entry into the Spanish north African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla is also set to rise, with plans for the extension of the perimeter road and for raising the height of the border fences to over six metres. The APDHA also notes that this increase in investment is not being matched in relation to the means available to the
Guardia Civil for open sea rescue operations, at the same time as the practice of intercepting and accosting dinghies in the open sea is causing a high number of deaths.
As for the number of vessels and people intercepted during the crossing, the APDHA report notes that the situation is not significantly changing as the figures are only rising slightly (and are certainly not decreasing). It also denounced a "spin" exercise by the PSOE government regarding the "arbitrary" use of different criteria in relation to the presentation of figures on the detention of would-be immigrants to demonstrate the effectiveness of the SIVE.
Other concerns expressed in the report include the violation of the rights of immigrant detainees, and the fact that Morocco, in its new role as a "buffer state", has been praised by Spain for passing a new immigration law that has been widely condemned by Moroccan human rights associations. The EU and Spain are accused of hypocrisy when, simultaneously, they call for the democratisation of Morocco and for the adoption of legislation that expands the repressive functions of the Moroccan state and is likely to restrict the civil liberties of Moroccans and sub-Saharan Africans alike. On a more positive note, the report welcomes the fact that readmission agreements concerning non-nationals between Spain and Morocco that were signed in 1992 and re-affirmed in 2003 are not being implemented, and that the Spanish
fiscal general del estado (general attorney) has withdrawn an order that called for the treatment of immigrant minors who<