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Thousands of migrants have crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, overwhelming local authorities and prompting a request for military assistance. The Guardia Civil reported that between 2,000 and 3,000 individuals have entered the territory by sea, leading to a saturated reception system.
The president of Ceuta, Juan Jesus Vivas, indicated that reception centres are at capacity, with reports of over 200 migrants entering daily. Spain’s Interior Ministry is collaborating with Morocco to tackle the surge and has attributed the influx to people-smuggling networks exploiting a recent Supreme Court ruling on migrant interception.
Ceuta’s government has called on Madrid to deploy the army and close the Moroccan border, citing a “total humanitarian and social emergency” as reception centres reach capacity. Spain’s Interior Ministry stated it is collaborating with Morocco to address the surge and attributed the increase in migrant crossings to people-smuggling networks exploiting a recent Supreme Court ruling.
What remains unclear — It is not specified how the Spanish government plans to respond to the current influx of migrants and whether military deployment will occur.
Thousands of migrants enter Spanish beach in Ceuta while police struggle to respond
Thousands of migrants from Morocco have swarmed a Spanish beach in north Africa and overwhelmed police are trying to stop them from crossing.
Migrants are ‘massively entering from the sea’ into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta on Thursday, the Guardia Civil said.
The region’s government has begged Madrid to deploy the army and close the Moroccan border, warning a ‘total humanitarian and social emergency’ is taking place.
State television TVE said that 2,000 to 3,000 youths had crossed into Spain by sea, with some reportedly scaling the border fence.
Images showed migrants paddling from Morocco into Ceuta using inflatable inner tubes and other flotation devices.
Migrants are swimming to Ceuta from Morocco (Picture: AP Photo/Antonio Sempera)
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Video also showed crowds shouting ‘Long live Spain’ as they rushed into the territory.
The president of Ceuta, Juan Jesus Vivas, said: ‘We are in a situation of total humanitarian and social emergency.
‘In the past few days more than 1,500 migrants, both adults and minors, have come to Ceuta by sea.
‘The reception centres are saturated – there is no more room for anyone in them and according to yesterday’s figures the number of people entering is more than 200 a day.’
Ceuta, along with Spanish city Melilla, represents the EU’s only land border with Africa.
Both regions have faced occasional influxs of migrants trying to reach Europe.
This rush appears to be on a similar scale to one that occurred in May 2021, when some 10,000 Moroccan and sub-Saharan youths entered the enclave in days
Spain’s Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned under the enclaves’ special border-rejection regime.
The Guardia Civil spokesperson told Reuters: ‘It has been a slow trickle since the Supreme Court’s ruling, but today has been an explosion.’
Spain’s Interior Ministry said it was working closely with Morocco to address the surge in migrants.
They blamed people-smuggling networks for exploiting the Supreme Court’s ruling to encourage undocumented migration.
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