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Spain Becomes Top EU Migrant Destination

Spain has become the number-one destination for migrants who cross the Mediterranean¹ Sea to get to Europe.

Before, the country most of the migrants tried to reach was Italy.

The latest numbers come from for the European Union's border agency² Frontex. They show the number of migrants reaching Spain increased 166 percent from a year ago, to nearly 6,400 in June.

Migrants from Morocco, Guinea and Mali made up the highest number of arrivals³ in Spain this year.

The number of migrants who used the central Mediterranean path to Italy and Malta this June fell to about 3,000. That is a drop of 87 percent compared to June 2017.

The Italian government recently banned non-governmental organization (NGO) boats from disembarking migrants in Italian ports. The ban is expected to last through the summer.

Demonstrators have protested⁴ the decision. They accuse⁵ their government of being responsible⁶ for the deaths of migrants at sea.

The United⁷ Nations says one in seven migrants making the crossing has drowned since Italy banned NGO boats.

Earlier this week, the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms discovered a destroyed migrant boat off the coast of Libya. Rescuers found the bodies of a woman and child. Another woman was found alive.

The group and other NGOs accuse the Libyan coast guard and a ship that was nearby of leaving the migrants to die.

Oscar Camps, who founded Proactiva Open Arms, said the deaths were a direct⁸ result of "not allowing NGOs, which rescue lives in the Mediterranean, to work here.”

Earlier this week, five European nations — France, Spain, Germany, Malta and Portugal — agreed to share 450 migrants who had been rescued by Italian government boats. Italy refused to take all of them in. Italian Interior⁹ Minister Matteo Salvini wrote on Twitter: "Firmness and coherence¹⁰ pay off."

He later told reporters that his goal was “to save everyone. To aid everyone. To heal¹¹ everyone. To feed everyone. But to avoid that everyone comes to Italy.”

In total, the number of so-called¹² irregular migrant crossings into the European Union in the first half of 2018 was more than 60,000. That is almost a 50-percent drop from a year ago.

I'm Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

destination - n. a place to which a person is going or something is being sent

disembark - v. to remove (something or someone) from a ship or airplane

allow - v. to permit¹³

coherence – n. the ability to talk or express yourself in a clear way that can be easily understood

irregular - adj. not following the usual rules about what should be done

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

3 arrivals   

n.到达( arrival的名词复数 )；抵达；到达者；（新技术、新思想的）引进

参考例句：

• Arrivals continue to be abundant. 到货仍然源源不断。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There were two new arrivals, fidgeting around, waiting to ask questions. 有两个新来的人坐立不安地等着提问。 来自辞典例句

4 protested   

v.声明( protest的过去式和过去分词 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• He protested he was being cheated of his rightful share. 他提出抗议说他被人骗取了他依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Amy protested she was being cheated of her rightful share. 艾米提出抗议，说有人骗取了她依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 accuse   

vt.指责，控告，归咎于；vi.指责，控告

参考例句：

• I've been wrong to accuse him.我指责他是不正确的。
• Make sure of your facts before you accuse him.在指责他以前要把材料核实一下。

6 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。

7 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

8 direct   

adj.直接的；直达的；v.指挥；知道；监督；管理

参考例句：

• This train is direct,you do not have to change.这辆火车是直达的，你不必换车。
• The army is under the king's direct command.军队由国王直接统帅。

9 interior   

adj.在内的，内部的，内地的，国内的；n.内部

参考例句：

• There is water in the interior of the cave.在山洞的内部有水。
• They went into the interior room.他们进了内室。

10 coherence   

n.紧凑；连贯；一致性

参考例句：

• There was no coherence between the first and the second half of the film.这部电影的前半部和后半部没有连贯性。
• Environmental education is intended to give these topics more coherence.环境教育的目的是使这些课题更加息息相关。

11 heal   

v.使愈合，治愈，使康复；平息(争吵等)；消除，解决(分支等)

参考例句：

• Time helped heal the old wounds.时间有助于治愈旧创伤。
• This wound will soon heal if yon keep it clean.如果你保持伤口清洁，它很快就会痊愈。

12 so-called   

adj.所谓的，号称的

参考例句：

• These were the so-called mainframe machines.它们被称为主机。
• Let's see what this so-called button does.让我们来看看为什么这个按钮叫这个名字。

13 permit   

n.许可证，许可，执照；vt.允许，容许；vi.容许

参考例句：

• The doctor will not permit mother up until her leg is better.在母亲的腿好些之前,医生不允许她起床。
• The soldiers had orders to permit no stranger through.士兵们接到命令不许任何陌生人通过。