Key facts
- More than 1,300 migrants died attempting to reach the Spanish coast in the first five months of 2026.
- Pope Leo's visit to the Canary Islands focuses on the treatment of migrants.
- The Pope visited a Spanish prison, urging inmates to make amends.
- Rights groups report increased risks as migrants take longer, more dangerous routes to avoid detection.
- In 2025, 3,090 people died or disappeared attempting to reach the Spanish coast.
Pope Leo's visit to Spain is drawing attention to the perilous journeys undertaken by migrants, with a new report indicating over 1,300 deaths in the first five months of 2026. The advocacy group Caminando Fronteras stated that 1,317 people, including 142 women and 129 children, died attempting to reach the Spanish coast during this period, with 27 boats disappearing entirely. This surge in fatalities occurs as migrants are forced to take longer and riskier routes across the Atlantic Ocean to evade intensified detection efforts. The Pope, who has focused on migrant treatment throughout his visit, previously spoke in Catalan in Barcelona, emphasizing respect for diversity, and visited a Spanish prison to urge inmates toward making amends. His tour concludes in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago that has experienced a significant increase in irregular migration over the past decade.