Spain’s prime minister has blamed trafficking gangs after about 60,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco. At least 57 people died during the surge, according to local media.
Pedro Sánchez called the incident a “violation of Spain’s territorial integrity”. Italy has responded by suspending the EU’s border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain.
As of Friday evening, more than 48,000 of the migrants had voluntarily returned to Morocco, Spanish officials said.
The influx comes after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish enclave, cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.
Spain sending troops as thousands enter enclave of Ceuta from Morocco
Ceuta, on Morocco’s northern coast, is separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar and has long been a focal point for migrants attempting to reach Europe. During the summer months there is often a big push to reach Ceuta, typically organised over social media.
Local officials had appealed to Madrid for help after a recent rise in attempted crossings, but there were chaotic scenes on Thursday as border controls apparently broke down.
Ceuta’s President Juan Jesús Vivas called the situation “unsustainable” and said the arrivals amounted to around 70% of the city’s population – which sits at around 83,600 according to the latest local figures. Spain’s Interior Ministry told the BBC that its estimates were slightly lower, citing 50,000 arrivals since the early hours of Thursday.
Spain has now deployed its armed forces to bolster security in Ceuta and at its sister city of Melilla, where between 300 to 400 crossings were also reported overnight.
Speaking on Friday during a visit to Ceuta, Sánchez said the surge was caused by criminal networks purposefully misinterpreting the recent Supreme Court ruling.
“What has emerged from our talks with Moroccan authorities is that trafficking mafias took a self-serving interpretation of a Supreme Court ruling” which “spread like wildfire”, he said.
He added that the government would look at reinforcing the border with Morocco, and that Moroccan authorities were co-operating with the return of those who had entered illegally.
Most of those entering Ceuta have been young men, although there are also women and children in the crowds and even babies. Officials estimate that at least 7,000 of those who crossed illegally into the territory in the last 24 hours are minors.
Morocco, which has a high unemployment rate, witnessed several Gen Z anti-government protests last year – with young people demanding better opportunities and improvements to public services.
One migrant told Reuters news agency he was going back to Morocco, adding: “It’s not good at all, and it’s not fun either. I mean, people are dying here. I beg you, please, if you haven’t come yet, don’t come. Don’t do it.”
