What changes now for visitors and residents?

There are no official rules for visitors or residents so far. The research found no rules, deadlines or official advice for the public.

The reports reviewed show no limits on ferry or flight links for visitors. As things stand, travellers can book as planned.

Reports from 9 November say empty cayucos are piling up in La Restinga harbour, and the usual crane broke down. A mobile crane has arrived, but rescue crews, fishermen and dive clubs say the port is cramped.

If you have booked a dive or boat trip from La Restinga, ask the operator beforehand. No body has said yet whether trips will be cancelled.

According to the group Asamblea7Islas, 15 of 30 beds at the Hospital Nuestra Señora de los Reyes hold migrants. The group wants the military to set up a field hospital on the quay at La Restinga.

How many boats and people arrived exactly?

According to the rescue services, 81 cayucos reached the island in the first 14 days of November, almost six a day. From January to the end of October there were 66 boats, so 147 since the start of the year.

Between Friday evening, 13 November, and Saturday morning, six cayucos carrying 504 people arrived in La Restinga. The last docked at 11:20 with 85 people, and another boat was rescued 12 miles offshore.

Salvamento Marítimo (the state sea rescue service) reports eight operations on Friday involving 843 people. Add five cayucos with 382 people on Saturday and the total is 1,225 people in two days.

The 504 arrivals included 38 women and 39 minors, and the age of 21 people is still unconfirmed. The boats spent five to seven days at sea after leaving Senegal and Gambia, from places such as Yenn, Saint-Louis, Dakar and Brufut.

Health reports list three minor cases: back pain, a faint and dizziness. Nobody needed hospital treatment.

Where do the people stay, and who looks after them?

El Hierro’s CATE (temporary reception centre for foreigners) held 317 people on Saturday, not counting the latest arrivals. The regular ferry took 158 of them to Tenerife the same day.

Reports say the Red Cross, the Canary health emergency service SUC, the Guardia Civil and the Policía Nacional work on the quay. Migrants are a matter for the state, and handover to the regional government follows set protocols.

Unaccompanied minors go to a former student residence in Valverde, the island’s largest facility for them. Across the Canaries the reports counted 216 such minors in September, 447 in October and 438 in November up to the 9th.

The police unions Jupol, SUP and UFP warn of staff shortages and exhaustion. Reports also say buses were diverted to migration work, but which routes are affected remains unclear.

Why are so many boats arriving now?

On the Canary route the Interior Ministry counted 6,194 arrivals in October, the highest October figure since 2023. For Spain as a whole, the January to October tally shows 32,942 irregular arrivals, 8.9% more than in 2025.

In the first nine days of November the regional government counted 6,665 people on 66 boats across the whole archipelago, 1,300% more than a year earlier. Of those 66 boats, 48 headed for El Hierro.

In 2024 around 46,843 people reached the Canaries, according to the Interior Ministry, and in 2025 the figure fell by about 62% to 17,788. From January to October 2026, 13,327 people arrived, 5.5% fewer than a year earlier.

From January to 30 September El Hierro took in 3,515 people on 31 boats, say the rescue services, which is 48.96% of all arrivals in the Canaries. Cayucos at La Restinga carried 113 people on average, against only 52 on boats from Morocco to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

Most departures are from Senegal, and tighter sea surveillance pushes the boats further from the coast, the reports say. Mauritania has intercepted 37 boats with more than 4,300 people so far in 2026.

What have the authorities decided so far?

The Cabildo de El Hierro (island government) declared a social emergency in early November. President Alpidio Armas said, according to reports: “We are overwhelmed”.

The legal form and extra powers of the declaration are unknown. Regional president Fernando Clavijo called the situation “absolutely untenable” and said the numbers are close to 2024 levels.

On 10 November the central government held a meeting of several ministries. Reports mention Red Cross staff, more police, interpreters, a compensation fund for businesses in La Restinga and two extra daily ferry sailings, but none of this is confirmed.

Government delegate Anselmo Pestana visited La Restinga on 9 November and planned visits to the CATE San Andrés and the Echedo first reception centre, which is being renovated. The same day, residents at a meeting asked for support for local shops.

What happens next?

The Interior Ministry’s next report, covering November, comes out in early December, and the research found no exact date. Nothing has been published on costs or on who will pay them.