BARCELONA, Spain, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- More international cooperation is needed to address issues concerning irregular migrants, Javier Vazquez, a Spanish specialist on migration, said on Monday.

Vazquez, an associate professor of economics at the University of Barcelona, made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua as large numbers of irregular migrants continue to reach Spanish shores.

Spain's Canary Islands, for a second consecutive year, registered a record number of 46,843 migrants arriving by boat in 2024, up 17 percent from the previous year.

Meanwhile, as a whole, Spain came close to a new record for irregular migrant arrivals in 2024, with 63,970 people entering the country, just below the historic high of 64,298 arrivals in 2018, according to Spain's Interior Ministry data released early this month.

There are no signs of the phenomenon declining, the expert said, adding, "whether this year there will be another 64,000, or 70,000, or 50,000, people will continue coming."

"More work should be done ... not only in terms of greater international cooperation but also carrying out more initiatives, which already exist, such as hiring people in the country of origin," said Vazquez.

Caminando Fronteras, a group investigating disappearance of migrants at sea trying to reach Spain, reported that 10,457 people lost their lives at sea in 2024, almost 30 per day, the majority on the route to the Canary Islands.

Vazquez also pointed out that what has been complicating the migration phenomenon is the arrival of unaccompanied minors. "Minors cannot be deported, which is different from adults, who can be returned to their country of origin," he said. Enditem

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