The Migrant Traffic to Spain:$$$$

The below article from the Spanish daily, El Pais, describes the profits being made by those who smuggle migrants across the Mediterranean to Spain. Translation by Fousesquawk.

https://elpais.com/espana/2020-05-08/el-desplazamiento-de-la-ruta-migratoria-hacia-espana-fue-un-negocio-de-160-millones-de-euros-para-las-mafias.html

The shift of the migrant route toward Spain was a 160-million-euro business for the mafias
-Maria Martin, 8 May 2020 
Frontex calculates that just in 2018, with a historic record of arrivals, the facilitators of Morocco earned 105 million

Caption below photo:

A group of migrants upon their arrival at the port of Malaga after their rescue last April 15-El Pais

The more obstacles, the more money.  Border control causes more troubles for migrants, but at the same time, an opportunity to make more business for the human traffickers. The European Agency for Borders (Frontex) calculates that the networks of facilitators (smugglers) in Morocco have pocketed  159 million euros in the last three years organizing crossings in small boats through the Straight and Sea of Alboran. The most profitable year was 2018, when a historic record of more than 57,000 arrivals by sea were recorded, and the traffickers increased their turnover  to more than 105 million euros.

The networks in Morocco recovered a business opportunity at the beginning of 2017, parallel to the increase of migratory pressure in the direction of Europe. Until this moment, Libya was the principal point of departure in the African migratory route to Europe, and their militias combined the armed fight with the business of immigrant traffic. In mid 2018, the policy of closed ports (on the part of) ex-minister Matteo Salvini and the forces of the EU in financing and forming Libyan militias like the coast guard, bore fruit , making the route more expensive and the flows ended up shifting to the western flank of the Mediterranean.

This shift involved a "significant increase" in the entry of human trafficking networks in Algeria and Morocco, according to Frontex and their annual report of risk analysis, recently published. Specifically, the networks that operate in Morocco, the country of departure of a large part of the migrants who reach Spain, pocketed about 35 million euros in 2017, and the following year, increased their income to 105 million. Last year, when illegal immigration had already fallen to half of 2018, the networks' profits were  reduced to 19 million euros.

The calculation by Frontex takes into consideration the fees reported by those migrants who could be interviewed on landing and the flow of arrivals. It is an approximation because, as indicated by the agency itself, it becomes more difficult to examine the profits of the Moroccan and Algerian networks due to the quantity of variables which can alter the fees. The agreement with the traffickers can include just the trip in small boat, (or) also a plane ticket or safe housing where they wait for departure and food. The demand, the means of transport utilized, (toy boats, motorized boats, or zodiac (inflatable), make the agreement more expensive or cheaper. 

The point of departure and nationality of the migrant also influences (the fee). The Moroccans, who know the terrain, can manage the trip themselves without paying traffickers, while the sub-Saharans, mostly need them. Although the agency omits it, the cost of the trip also depends on bribing local officials.

The 2019 totals call attention because they involve a loss of income (from 105 to 19 million), much more than the drop in arrivals. A Frontex spokesperson explains that it is a "conservative" calculation  taking into consideration various factors like the lack of data and that the totals reported were much more variable than other years. Besides, 2019 was characterized by more border control by the Moroccan authorities, which especially affected the sub-Saharans. "We took into account that the percentage of sub-Saharan migrants  (who pay higher fees) decreased, while that of Moroccans (who pay much less or nothing) increased," notes the spokesperson. A less conservative calculation, he adds, would raise the total profits between 30 and 35 million euros. 

The agency, which often points out the enormous flexibility of these networks to adapt themselves to each new scenario, notes that the number of facilitators involved in these activities has increased, "especially those who come from the same countries as the migrants". Frontex predicts that the traffickers will begin to diversify their businesses. "In the future, these criminal networks could expand their illegal activities to other crimes like money laundering, corruption, and smuggling," states the document.

Rising Fees

In the last months, emigrating from the north of Morocco is harder and more expensive. The EU and Spain financially and diplomatically support the country in exchange for better border control. According to Frontex, Morocco detected more than 27,000 illegal migrants and dismantled more than 60 human trafficking networks in 2019. Rabat, which often gives out much greater numbers than those of the EU, claims they have rescued 19,554 migrants in the sea en route to Spain. Their
harassment of the migrants has increased the fees of the route.

The fees to cross the Straight or the Sea of Alboran were between 1,000-2,000 euros in 2017, but in the last trimester  of 2019, reached, in some cases, 3,000 euros per person, according to the claims of the Frontex analysts.

As the prices of the Western Mediterranean route increased, a growing number of migrants find them "unaffordable" and look for "alternative routes", Frontex warns. This is happening. The Atlantic route to the Canary Islands has been reactivated after a decade of being sealed, and, in spite of being the most dangerous-at least 89 persons have died trying to cross it so far this year- it is what the migrants with less resources are able to pay.