After overcoming the challenges of the journey, those who manage to reach the border – whether by land or sea – face new physical barriers and violent actions from the authorities, resulting in human rights violations, life-threatening situations, detentions, and returns without legal safeguards.
Spain's Borders
Spanish land territory
Spanish maritime territory
Border with Africa
Spanish land territory
Spanish maritime territory
Border with Africa
The militarization of borders is based on the premise that migration constitutes a potential threat. To address this supposed threat, both the European Union and Spain resort to the externalization of their borders.
Southern border
El 80% of the public money Spain spends on migration control is directed to the border with Africa.
Militarisation of the Southern border
Of the contracts published by the Spanish Government for migration control*, only 3% are for reception and integration.
*2022 Data
*2022 Data
More than six ministries allocate budgets to migration control. The main ones are: Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Interior, Employment, Social Security and Migration, Foreign Affairs and Finance.*
The Ministry of Employment, Social Security and Migration is responsible for the reception of migrants and refugees; however, it allocates 75% of its budget to migration control and less than 25% to integration and reception.
*Nomenclature of ministries according to source.
*Nomenclature of ministries according to source.
The ministry responsible for receiving people entitled to international protection allocates three-quarters of its budget to activities related to immigrant detention and security.
Patrolling operations are designed to rescue boats in danger, but also to prevent migrants from arriving by sea.
Spain and the European Union have established collaborations with third countries – such as Libya and Morocco – to control maritime migration. These agreements include training and funding for coast guards, despite the fact that the authorities in these countries have been accused of numerous human rights violations.
Pushbacks have been widely criticised at the international level and by human rights organisations for failing to comply with both international and European law, which guarantee every individual the right to seek asylum and have their application considered fairly and comprehensively.
However, obstruction has not only developed in the area of militarization and technological advancement, but also in the way interventions are conducted to contain entries.
While European authorities have justified these practices as necessary measures to control irregular migration and protect borders, pushbacks not only deprive individuals of their right to seek asylum, they also expose them to further risks of persecution, mistreatment and violence, as they are returned to territories they are fleeing or where their safety is not guaranteed.
The practice of "hot
returns" is contrary
to international law;
one of the many
human rights
abuses that
a person can suffer
on arrival in Spain.
