Within 24 hours, around 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, according to the city’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas. He also said that at least 43 people had died while attempting to cross the border.
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Figures from Spain’s Interior Ministry put the number of arrivals at nearly 50,000. Meanwhile, more than 25,000 people have voluntarily left Ceuta to return to Morocco, at a rate that authorities say reached around 150 departures per minute.
Juan Jesús Vivas described the situation as “unstable” and noted that the migrants who had arrived amounted to approximately 70% of Ceuta’s population, a city of around 83,600 residents. He called for further assistance from the central authorities to address the crisis.
In response to this unprecedented influx, the Spanish authorities have deployed armed forces to Ceuta and Melilla with the aim of strengthening security and border controls. There is a significant military presence at the border, while Moroccan police have clashed with migrants attempting to leave for Spanish territory.
In Melilla, 300 to 400 illegal crossings were also recorded overnight. As a result, the Spanish government has sent in the army to reinforce border surveillance in both this enclave and Ceuta.
The situation arose following a ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court, which determined that migrants caught at sea while attempting to enter Ceuta or Melilla could not be immediately sent back to Morocco.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described what is happening as an “attack.” He said that everyone who had entered illegally would be returned to Morocco “as quickly as possible.”
During his visit to Ceuta, Sánchez announced that the government was considering additional measures to further strengthen the border with Morocco. The prime minister accused criminal networks of exploiting the Supreme Court ruling by spreading false information that fueled the wave of migrants.
According to Sánchez, the Moroccan authorities are working with the Spanish side to repatriate those who crossed illegally into Spanish territory.
Authorities report that most of the migrants are young and predominantly male, although there are also women, children and babies among them. It is estimated that at least 7,000 of those who arrived in Ceuta over the past 24 hours are minors.
