Spain Arrests 200 Illegal ImmigrantsMore than 200 illegal immigrants have been arrested trying to enter Spain - one of the biggest groups ever to have been intercepted by the Spanish authorities.The 216 people, all of whom came from north and sub-Saharan Africa, were arrested on the Andalucian coast on Thursday. Civil guards found over 100 people crammed into two launches near Tarifa. The others landed and were arrested on shore. So far this year civil guards have arrested more than 2,500 people. Last week 130 would-be immigrants arrived in the Canary Islands - a Spanish territory - from Sierra Leone. Officials fear that improving weather will tempt even more people to cross the narrow Straits of Gibraltar which separate Spain from the African continent. Thousands of people make the hazardous journey every year in the hope of a more prosperous life in Europe. It is estimated that hundreds die annually in the Straits of Gibraltar because of the strong currents and the heavy sea traffic. Earlier this year Spain tightened up its immigration laws bringing in emergency procedures for deporting foreigners without the right papers. The clamp-down sparked protests across Spain by immigrants who feared up to 30,000 people could face deportation. |
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