By Flora Botsford BBC Madrid correspondent

The bodies have been recovered of 11 immigrants who were illegally trying to reach Spain from North Africa.

The small fishing boat in which they were travelling had capsized near the island of Lanzarote.

No matter how great the dangers, desperate migrants are still set on making the attempt

Seven other illegal immigrants from the same boat managed to swim ashore and were detained by the authorities.

The Spanish Government has just released figures on immigration for 2001 and, in response to the election success of Jean-Marie Le Pen, says its tough immigration policy is the reason why there is no right-wing political movement in Spain.

The arrival of illegal immigrants on the southern shores of Spain and the Canary Islands is an almost daily event.

Transporting them from North Africa to Spain is a growing industry which is fuelled by illegal mafias who charge each passenger thousands of euros for the privilege.

However, many immigrants drown while making the sea crossing and gruesome pictures of bodies washed up on beaches are often shown on the television news.

In the same 24-four hour period, the Spanish civil guard detained 42 other people who had entered Spain illegally.

Tough policy to remain

Figures just released by the Spanish Government showed that in 2001, nearly 45,000 immigrants were denied entry or expelled from the country - that's nearly 10,000 more than in the previous year.

In the past two years, Spain granted the right of abode to more than 400,000 immigrants, more than 60% of those who had applied.

At just over one million official non-Spanish residents, Spain still has one of the lowest proportions of immigrants in Europe.

Despite being an entry point to the entire European Union, the phenomenon is still relatively recent.

Just over a year ago, the government introduced a draconian new immigration law which made it easier to expel anyone living here illegally.

But since the election success of the French right-winger, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the Spanish Government has defended its immigration policy, saying tough measures could be seen as the main reason why Spain did not have a right-wing political movement.

The Socialist Party has responded by criticising the government's lack of secure border controls and effective policies on the full integration of immigrants into Spanish life.