On the day that three small boats carrying a total of 44 migrants of North African origin arrived off the coast of the Balearics, the director of the Mediterranean Migration Observatory (Omimed) at the University of the Balearics (UIB), Margalida Capellà, has warned of the ‘criminalisation of people’ arriving in the Balearics in small boats, against the backdrop of the rise in arrivals recorded in recent years.
During the presentation of the systemic report on the Algeria-Balearic Islands route at the UIB, Capellà linked this phenomenon to the rise in the number of migrants arriving in small boats and noted that, in her view, this increase is leading to the emergence of criminalisation dynamics surrounding these individuals.
According to the study’s data, the Balearics accounted for 22 per cent of all small boat arrivals in Spain in 2025, in contrast to the national picture, where total arrivals fell by 46.4 per cent that year compared to the previous one. She also highlighted the need to analyse the migration phenomenon using official data and made these remarks during the presentation of a report produced by the observatory itself, focusing on the trend in arrivals and their characteristics in the western Mediterranean.
The researchers highlighted that the number of arrivals to the islands between 2020 and 2025 has increased fivefold, with a total of 7,321 migrants arriving in the Balearic Islands by small boat between 1 January and 31 December last year. They also noted that the main point of entry has been the island of Cabrera, followed by Formentera. “The Balearic Islands are a central point on the migration map of the western Mediterranean,” stated Omimed’s director, Margalida Capellà.
In this presentation, the Omimed director reiterated the need to establish a specific protocol for the identification and care of victims of sexual violence. In this regard, she noted that the fact that women are a minority in absolute terms may leave them exposed to specific risks such as sexual or gender-based violence, which is why researchers have called for mechanisms to be put in place to detect such incidents.
The study also highlights the shortcomings identified at the Palma Maritime Station in the care of migrants, although it noted that these have been improving throughout 2025. The researchers noted that people transferred from the Temporary Reception Centre for Foreigners (CATE) could be left outside the facility for between one and four nights, without access to basic services.
According to the report, improvements came gradually: first between July and August with the opening of the centre at night; then with the deployment of Red Cross services; the declaration of a migration emergency by the Council of Ministers in September; and, finally, with the installation of reception units from December onwards.
Furthermore, they have praised the work of the volunteers throughout the year, who maintained basic support at the port for nine months whilst the institutional response was being organised. Among the study’s conclusions, the researchers highlighted that, during July and August, the care system reached its physical and organisational limits, as seen, according to them, in the situation at Palma’s maritime station.
This is why the study marks this year as a turning point in which institutions activated coordination mechanisms to respond to the arrival of migrants. Furthermore, they have stated that the Algerian route has established itself as the one showing the greatest growth, at 22 per cent, compared to others such as the Canary Islands route, where there was a 62 per cent increase in migrant arrivals by small boats in 2025 compared to the previous year.
The study’s data show that in August, 79 boats carrying 1,390 people were detected, of whom 39 per cent were intercepted on land, mainly in the south of Formentera, in Ibiza and on the island of Cabrera. Furthermore, they have stated that the origins of migrants are becoming more diverse, with 50 per cent being of sub-Saharan origin, and a notable increase in the number of women and children.
They have thus expressed regret that migration flows in 2025 have included unaccompanied minors and potential victims of trafficking, each with a different legal status and protection needs. The study has shown that in 2025, 614 minors arrived in the Balearics, of whom 497 were unaccompanied, and that the number of women doubled compared to 2024. It has also been emphasised that data on deaths and disappearances of migrants is incomplete, and they have called for this data to be updated and for more resources to be allocated to this work so that, amongst other things, families can be informed.