Irregular entries into the European Union are at their lowest level since 2021, with Spain as the exception.

Omissions

• The most recent Frontex data available before the session date (first half / first seven months of 2026) show a further 37% year-on-year fall in irregular border crossings, meaning the actual level is even lower than the 2025 figure — the claim's 'lowest since 2021' framing is accurate but understates how far below 2021 levels the current figure is.
• Frontex's first-half 2026 release reports the Western African route (the main route into Spain via the Canary Islands) as registering around 3,700 detections, a 67% decline and 'the steepest decline of all routes', which does not support the framing of Spain as the exception for that period.
• No source was found quantifying a Spanish increase in irregular entries for the period closest to the session date; the 'Spain as exception' element may rest on national (Spanish Interior Ministry) data or on land-border entries at Ceuta/Melilla, which are not the same indicator as Frontex's route-level detections.
• Frontex figures count 'detections' of irregular border crossings at external borders, not unique persons, and exclude some categories (e.g. some land-border entries and visa-overstayers), a limitation relevant when comparing with national Spanish arrival statistics.

Sources

• PrimaryFrontex — 'Irregular border crossings down 26% in 2025, Europe must stay prepared''... lowest level since 2021. The decrease is a significant development, yet Frontex warns that the situation at Europe's borders remains uncertain.' (headline: irregular border crossings down 26% in 2025)
• PrimaryFrontex — InBrief 2025'In 2025, the number of irregular border crossings at the European Union's external borders reached a total of just over 178 000.'
• PrimaryFrontex — 'Irregular border crossings into the EU down 37% in the first half of 2026''The Western African route registered around 3 700 detections, the steepest decline of all routes at 67%.' Headline: irregular border crossings into the EU down 37% in the first half of 2026 (just over 49,000 detections).
• PrimaryFrontex — 'Preliminary data show irregular border crossings into EU down 37% in first seven months of 2026''Frontex preliminary data show irregular border crossings into the EU fell 37% in the first seven months of 2026'