Human Rights Advocate Criticizes Spain's Migrant Border Policies
Helena Maleno critiques Spain's border policies, linking them to high migrant death rates and human rights violations.
Key Points
- • Helena Maleno comments on the parallels between Spanish and Italian border policies.
- • In 2022, over 10,000 migrants died at Spanish borders, a statistic highlighting systemic failures.
- • The Atlantic route is the deadliest for migrants globally, exacerbated by crises in North Africa.
- • Maleno calls for justice and recognition of migrant victims amidst social desensitization.
In a stark critique of Spain's border policies, activist Helena Maleno, from the organization Caminando Fronteras, has drawn parallels between the Spanish government's approach to immigration and that of the far-right Meloni administration in Italy. During an August 2, 2025 interview, Maleno highlighted alarming statistics, noting that 10,457 people tragically lost their lives at Spanish borders in 2022 alone, illustrating a persistent and systemic failure to uphold human rights for migrants.
Maleno characterized the Atlantic migration route from North Africa to Spain as the deadliest in the world, emphasizing that ongoing geopolitical crises, particularly in countries like Senegal and Mauritania, have forced increasing numbers of individuals, including women and children, to embark on perilous journeys. She attributed these dangerous migrations to a combination of political repression and climate change, which has exacerbated living conditions in these regions.
Critically, Maleno pointed to the lack of effective search and rescue operations conducted by Spanish authorities. She expressed frustration over the government's reliance on third-party countries to manage rescue efforts, resulting in delayed responses when lives are at stake.
"We must confront the harsh realities of border policies and their devastating consequences," she urged, as she documented these tragedies not only as acts of memory but as forms of justice for families of the victims. She lamented the societal desensitization that surrounds these incidents, highlighting the stigma that families of the deceased must endure amid systemic impunity regarding border violence.
Maleno advocated for restorative justice processes and the establishment of a comprehensive legal framework to safeguard migrant rights, challenging current policies that stigmatize migration and associated vulnerabilities such as trafficking and sex work. Covering the bleak landscape of human dignity, she stressed the urgent need for societies to recognize and respect the rights of migrants, against a backdrop of increasingly hostile border policies.