SHIPWRECK OF A MIGRATION POLICY

Chronicle of a Migration Route Marked by Repression, Structural Racism, and Death at Sea

This report documents the disastrous effects of migration cooperation between the European Union, Spain, and Mauritania. It provides an accurate picture of the systemic violence resulting from the externalization of European migration policies. Despite years of increased security measures and hundreds of millions of euros invested, the Atlantic route remains one of the deadliest in the world. In 2024, more than 10,457 people are believed to have died or gone missing at sea while trying to reach the Canary Islands, the majority departing from the Mauritanian coast.

Against the backdrop of the migration pact and record European funding, repression has intensified in Mauritania. Since December 2024, at least 30,000 people, mostly Black, have been targeted in raids, arrested based on their appearance or language, and often expelled to Mali or Senegal in degrading and often illegal conditions. With the promise of a new €500 million aid package, the EU and Spain have secured Mauritania’s full commitment to combating so-called irregular migration. In return, Mauritania has adopted new repressive legislation, criminalizing irregular entry and facilitating arbitrary expulsions.

Despite dangerous and traumatic crossing conditions, people arriving in the Canary Islands are regularly accused of being smugglers and imprisoned without guarantees of a fair trial. Under the guise of migration control, a similar logic of criminalization has also spread to Mauritania. What does this report reveal? A European migration strategy that sacrifices human rights, fuels violence, and shifts political responsibility. Instead of saving lives, the European Union is financing repression, racism, and injustice.

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