African refugees leave Sanxenxo after 20 months

More than 200 young African refugees have left Sanxenxo after a 20-month reception program that housed them at the Hotel Baixamar in the Areas parish, according to local reports published on May 20. The move transfers the remaining residents to Arousa and closes a cycle that began in September 2023, when the first arrivals reached the town through the NGO Accem after landing in the Canary Islands. Syla, one of the last 70 migrants still housed at Baixamar, told La Voz de Galicia that he was pleased to be leaving and had already started work in a restaurant kitchen. Local coverage described the Sanxenxo program as having hosted more than 200 youths over its duration, while earlier municipal and regional reporting counted 177 arrivals in the town from 2023 through late February 2026. (lavozdegalicia.es) ### When did the Sanxenxo program begin? September 2023 marked the start of the reception effort in Sanxenxo, when the first migrants arrived with Accem, according to Faro de Vigo. That report said the group had fled Africa by boat to the Canary Islands before being transferred onward to Galicia. The Hotel Baixamar in Areas became the main accommodation site. (lavozdegalicia.es) By March 1, 2026, 65 migrants were still being housed there, with residents rotating out as they found work or their personal circumstances changed, Faro de Vigo and Diario de Arousa reported. ### How many people passed through the program? (farodevigo.es) La Voz de Galicia reported on May 20 that the reception scheme had sheltered more than 200 young Africans over 20 months. Earlier local reporting, based on figures presented by Accem officials Cristina Ucieda and Ariadna Navarro to Sanxenxo social services councillor Paz Lago, put the number at 177 migrants received since 2023. (farodevigo.es) The difference appears to reflect updated counting later in the program. Neither of the local reports available in search results provided a fuller public breakdown by nationality or legal status for all of the residents. ### What happened while they were in Sanxenxo? Accem and the Sanxenxo council said 110 of the 177 migrants counted through February had signed work contracts, or 62% of the total, while 147 received training before entering the labor market. (lavozdegalicia.es) Those figures were presented in a meeting between Lago and Accem representatives Ucieda and Navarro. The training included Spanish classes, orientation on the local area and labor rules, and activities organized with the town hall, according to Faro de Vigo and Diario de Arousa. The migrants also received road-safety and first-aid instruction through the local police and emergency services, the reports said. (farodevigo.es) ### Who ran the reception effort? Accem, a Spanish nonprofit that works with asylum seekers and migrants, handled the arrivals in Sanxenxo and has also authored Spain country updates for the Asylum Information Database published by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles. The AIDA site says Accem wrote the 2025 update released in April 2026. Paz Lago, Sanxenxo’s social services councillor, said in February that local companies, sports clubs and associations had offered help with jobs and activities. “Sanxenxo maintains its collaboration and its integrating commitment and Accem channels that help,” she said, according to local reports. (farodevigo.es) ### What support remains in Sanxenxo after the departure? (asylumineurope.org) January 29, 2025, was the opening date for a specialized migrant-support office run by Accem and the Sanxenxo council in Portonovo, according to Diario de Pontevedra. The office was created to provide legal and social guidance and reduce the need for residents to travel to Vigo for immigration-related procedures. (farodevigo.es) The service operates through Accem’s Gadea program and includes advice on immigration status, nationality, residence renewals and administrative filings, Diario de Pontevedra reported. With the accommodation program now shifted to Arousa, that office remains one of the concrete local structures still in place for migrants in the area. (diariodepontevedra.es)