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From January to June 2025, the highest number of illegal immigrants that arrived in Spain via land and sea came from Mali, with approximately people. The immigrants from Senegal and Algeria were the second and third most numerous group, with and people leaving their country of residence, respectively. More than * illegal immigrants reached the Iberian country in 2024.

A risky journey

Spain, together with Italy and Greece, are the main points of entry to Europe for illegal migration. Most arrivals happen through the Mediterranean Sea, which is a very dangerous journey for migrants. While active since 2006, the migration route from the coasts of West Africa to the Canary Islands (the closest territory of the European Union) has become particularly popular in recent years, even though so many people 
lost their lives their.

Undocumented minors

Among those reaching the Spanish territory are undocumented and unaccompanied minors, known in Spanish as "menas” (Menores Extranjeros No Acompañados). In 2018, the number of unaccompanied and separated children that arrived by sea exceeded , which represented the largest figure since at least 2014. This number decreased by approximately cases in 2020. Nearly half of them came from Morocco, separated from Spain by merely ** kilometres of water at the Gibraltar Strait's narrowest point.