March to show support for migrants held in Canary Islands

The traveling Opening Borders association arrives in the Canary Islands, with more than 200 people joining from across the world to visit landmarks of the European migrant crisis and show their support for migrants arriving in the Canary Islands. 

They visited a cemetery where dead migrants are buried with no name and the central port authority where migrants arrive in boats.

Many migrant boats choose to land in the Canary Islands because of the archipelago's proximity to the Moroccan coast. But it is notoriously dangerous because of the strong currents in the Atlantic.

"I have dreams. Everyone has dreams. You, your brothers, your family, and everybody has dreams. My dream is to change the reality that we live in our country. This is the second reason why I am here," said Aboubakar, an artist on a caravan from Andalucía Caravan.

European countries have reinforced border controls in a bid to keep out migrants. Under a deal with the EU, Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia, arrest and detain migrants before trying to cross the Mediterranean.

Nearly 2,100 migrants died trying to reach Spain by sea during the first six months of 2021, roughly the same amount as during all of last year, a migrant rights group said Wednesday.

Over 90 percent of the deaths this year, or 1,922, took place during 57 shipwrecks on the route to the Canary Islands.