Migrants at Spanish territory’s border overwhelm police
Migrants swam from the Moroccan side and poured into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, overwhelming police at the city’s breakwater, Spain’s Guardia Civilian police said.
A Guardia Civil spokesman said migrants were “entering by sea en masse” from the Tarajal breakwater but could not give any estimate of the numbers.
State broadcaster TVE reported that 2,000 to 3,000 young people crossed the border on Thursday, while state news agency EFE reported that some climbed the border fence without swimming.
Reuters could not immediately confirm these reports.
Ceuta, together with Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city in North Africa, represents the European Union’s only land border with Africa.
In both cities, there is a periodic increase in the transit attempts of immigrants who want to reach Europe.
In the footage, some immigrants are heard shouting “Long live España!” He can be seen shouting. – Viva Spain – when they entered the area many were paddling from the Moroccan side using inflatable inner tubes and other flotation devices.
Migrant rights activist Zakaria Zarroqui said Thursday’s crossing was similar to one in May 2021, when about 10,000 Moroccan and sub-Saharan youth entered the region in a matter of days.
“The situation is out of control as we speak,” Zarroqui said, adding that people were still flocking to the Moroccan city of Fnideq to cross to Ceuta.
Earlier this month, Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants caught at sea trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be immediately sent back under those areas’ special border denial regime.
“It has been trickling down slowly since the Supreme Court decision, but today there has been an explosion,” a spokesman for the Guardia Civil told Reuters.
Earlier Thursday, Ceuta leader Juan Jesus Vivas called on the Spanish government to declare an emergency over the mass arrivals.
In its message to X, the regional government of Ceuta demanded that Spain deploy the army to guarantee security and close the border with Morocco.
Spain’s interior ministry said it was working closely with Morocco to address the rise in irregular arrivals and accused human trafficking networks of taking advantage of the Supreme Court’s decision to encourage undocumented migration.
Morocco’s interior ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The mass transit coincided with more than 1,500 migrants swimming into the city last week, according to regional officials.
with AP
