Canary Islands: Still No Political Will to Halt Illegal Arrivals
27th February 2026
The leak of the preliminary report of the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions mission to the Canary Islands, carried out last year, has once again put the management of the southern Atlantic border in the spotlight. The document notes the “disproportionate” pressure borne by the archipelago and supports a greater role for the European Union on the migration route.
Based on that political backing, the Canary Islands government has once again urged Pedro Sánchez’s executive to immediately request the deployment of Frontex ships, aircraft and drones in waters near the islands.
However, the request does not imply a paradigm shift in migration policy. Sources close to President Fernando Clavijo acknowledge that the European reinforcement would serve as “real support in rescue tasks and in the orderly management of flows,” but it would not mean an effective closure of the route.