A fishing boat blocked the way for another vessel carrying thirteen migrants this morning, about 19 miles off the coast near Torrevieja. Red Cross sources reported that a sea rescue operation by the Salvamar Leo responded quickly to aid those on board and bring them safely to the Port of Alicante. The Red Cross team had prepared a healthcare setup in advance. This marks the first boat to enter Alicante’s waters since the 2023 inauguration of the new facilities. Officials confirmed that thirteen individuals aboard were adults of Algerian nationality and in good health.
The arrival coincided with a Red Cross briefing on migrant aid during the past year. Data provided to Efe by the Red Cross indicate that migrant arrivals by boat along the Valencian Community’s coast fell to less than half in 2022, totaling 410 people, with a higher share of minors among them [Citation: Red Cross].
In the previous year, 342 people were rescued: 16 women and 52 minors (45 boys and 7 girls). In 2021, the total reached 848 (753 men, 26 women, and 69 children) [Citation: Red Cross].
The person in charge of Humanitarian Care for Migrants at Alicante, affiliated with the Red Cross, emphasized that over the past twelve months there has been an increase in the share of children, now reaching 12.7 percent, up from 8.1 percent in 2021. There has also been a rise in babies, with the number growing to six, while previously younger children were mainly teenagers aged 15 to 17.
To reject
Regarding the decline in total migrant numbers from 848 to 410, Red Cross officials cautioned that migration is highly volatile and statistics in this area are difficult to pin down due to varied political and socioeconomic conditions in origin countries and other factors such as COVID-19 [Citation: Red Cross].
“The reasons behind the reduced arrivals are not entirely clear,” stated Marín, who added that one should not become complacent because flows could rise again next year [Citation: Red Cross].
The typical profile of migrants reaching the Valencian Community includes people from Algeria, with some Sub-Saharan Africans and a growing number from the Middle East, and increasingly, family units are attempting the journey. Pregnant individuals have been observed, with six women reported as pregnant in earlier assessments. Medical teams at the General Hospital Balmis in Alicante have treated abdominal discomfort among expectant mothers, ranging from 30 days to several months into pregnancy.
Those who reach Alicante’s coast or are rescued at sea usually arrive in relatively good health. Some cases involve minor burns or fractures sustained during boarding, often linked to a rocky Algerian shoreline and the boat’s saltpeter and fuel mixture. Two migrants arrived with wheelchairs due to congenital disabilities.
Typically, migrant boats spend about 72 hours at sea, though more powerful vessels can cross the Mediterranean in as little as 24 to 48 hours [Citation: Red Cross].
Upon rescue, migrants receive social health benefits. Red Cross staff at Pier 25 in Alicante coordinate a reception that includes an infirmary, a mediation room, a games area, and seven modular units housing stores, showers, toilets, and accessible bathrooms.
Personal and health information is collected, and essentials such as food, hygiene products, and clothing are distributed with the help of Red Cross personnel, a team of ten professionals and 180 trained volunteers who assist before the migrants are handed over to the National Police [Citation: Red Cross].
Most arrivals in the Valencian Community are welcomed by close family networks or proceed with onward travel to France, a country hosting a sizable Algerian community that often supports new arrivals at their own expense. Others benefit from a network of Red Cross reception centers and NGO programs. Unaccompanied minors are admitted to public centers managed by the ministry.