Migration from Senegal surges as more than 32,000 people have landed in Spain’s Canary Islands

By RENATA BRITO
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Migration from Senegal is surging as more than 32,000 migrants have landed in Spain’s Canary Islands this year, setting a new record for the number of irregular arrivals to the archipelago. Most migrants taking the dangerous boat journey on the Atlantic Ocean are leaving from Senegal. The islands — a European Union territory located near the African continent — have been used for decades as a stepping stone to Europe. The number of migrants arriving on the Spanish islands hasn’t been this high since the notorious migration crisis of 2006, when 31,678 migrants disembarked in the Canaries.