Balearics demand reports on high-risk migration alert

Balearic Islands president Marga Prohens is demanding reports that warn of a high risk of large-scale migrant boat arrivals. Speaking in Palma on Friday, 4 September 2026, she said she would write to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for an explanation and details of any extra resources deployed. Nearly 4,500 migrants have arrived in small boats in the archipelago so far this year, Prohens said.

She accused Spain’s government of holding back sensitive information about the islands’ security. Prohens said the issue went beyond a regional political dispute and put the Balearics on alert for a possible large-scale arrival of irregular migrants.

Her complaint centres on a meeting with Sánchez at the Consolat de Mar in Palma on 29 July. Prohens said the Balearic government was not told about the report and that Sánchez had instead said irregular arrivals on the islands’ coast would improve.

The dispute followed Sánchez’s appearance in Congress, where he rejected the suggestion that National Police had warned a week earlier of a high risk in Ceuta. He confirmed that a report existed, but said it concerned only sea arrivals to mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands.

Prohens also said Félix Bolaños, the minister for the presidency, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, government delegate Alfonso Rodríguez, and secretaries of state Rosario Sánchez and Aina Calvo had not passed on the information.

The Balearic government will use official channels to request the reports and find out what Madrid has done in response to the alleged warning. Prohens said that if security forces and intelligence services identify a high risk, extraordinary measures should be prepared.

She renewed calls for a specific plan for what she calls the Balearics’ exceptional situation, more staff and resources to protect sea borders, and permanent Frontex resources on the coast. Nearly 25,000 migrants have reached the archipelago in small boats over the past five years, she said.

Prohens also pointed to Ceuta, saying it is not easy to return to normal after a large-scale arrival. She called for backing from all Balearic parties on national security and public safety.

Topics: Police · Migration · Tourism · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com