European Commission confirms majority of migrants return to Morocco
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the vast majority of approximately 60,000 irregular migrants who entered Ceuta have returned to Morocco.
Effective collaboration between Spanish and Moroccan authorities resulted in the swift return of irregular migrants, preventing further crossings and enhancing border security within the EU.
“The vast majority of those who arrived illegally have returned to Morocco,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding the situation in Ceuta.
‘Not a single person reached mainland Spain or the rest of the EU’, says von der Leyen
Published on •Updated
After around 60,000 irregular migrants entered the Ceuta Spanish enclave in North Africa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this Saturday that “the vast majority of those who arrived illegally have returned to Morocco.”
She held a conference call with EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner in charge of Internal Affairs and Migration and Dubravka Šuica in charge of the Mediterranean and Demography to discuss the migrant crisis in Ceuta.
“Due to the effective work of Spanish and Moroccan law enforcement. Not a single person reached mainland Spain or the rest of the EU,” von der Leyen said.
This comes as a majority of EU countries called on Saturday for emergency talks on the situation.
An open letter from the leaders of 22 of the EU’s 27 members demanded the bloc’s interior ministers have a video meeting “as a matter of urgency” to agree a speedy coordinated response, and to “prevent further uncontrolled crossings”.
Von der Leyen welcomed the move, saying the bloc needed “a lessons learned process to improve our European resilience.”
Spain’s interior ministry said Saturday that nearly all of the 60,000 migrants who breached the border since Wednesday had left and the situation in Ceuta was nearly back to normal.