The CEAR report highlights that despite a 62% overall decrease in maritime arrivals to the islands in 2025, unaccompanied children and adolescents maintained a significant presence on the Atlantic route. A total of 17,788 people reached the archipelago, compared to 46,843 the previous year.
The NGO attributes the drastic drop in arrivals to increased migration control with countries like Senegal and Mauritania. However, it warns that routes have been reconfigured, with departures primarily from Gambia, Senegal, southern Morocco, and Guinea Conakri, and that the risk has not proportionally decreased.
The Atlantic route remained extremely dangerous. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates at least 421 deaths or disappearances, while the organization Walking Borders raises this figure to 1,906. In total, over 3,400 deaths and disappearances were recorded in 2025.
The CEAR report also underscores the vulnerability of migrants arriving in the islands. Women accounted for 10% of arrivals. The entity alerts about severe medical issues, including kidney problems, consequences of ingesting saltwater, extreme cold, and illnesses like 'patera foot', in addition to mental health disorders and trauma from gender-based violence.
Despite the reduction in arrivals, the child protection system in the Canary Islands remained saturated. This situation is linked to the arrival of unaccompanied minors and the need for transfers to other autonomous communities and the state international protection system.
In response, the Foreigners Law was reformed in March 2025 to establish a binding territorial distribution mechanism for migrant minors. In August, the reception capacity per autonomous community was set, activating the first transfers. According to data from the Government of the Canary Islands, 581 migrant minors were transferred from the archipelago in 2025, 410 through the asylum route and 171 via the new distribution mechanism.
