Irregular arrivals in the European Union fell 35% in the first eight months of the year, with around 75,000 detections recorded between January and August. This figure represents a significant decrease compared to the same period the previous year.
The official figures do not include the entry of thousands of migrants in the Spanish city of Ceuta, which occurred on July 30 and 31. According to Spanish government data, at least 72,000 people are believed to have entered irregularly in that enclave during that short period.
Excluding Ceuta from the official data, the total number of irregular arrivals detected in the EU falls short of 75,000, highlighting the extraordinary impact of that migratory event in the European context. The discrepancy between the two datasets underscores the difficulty in controlling massive and unexpected migratory flows.
