Spain sends over 25,000 migrants back to Morocco from Ceuta; dozens dead

▶ Watch Video: Stunning video shows migrants crossing Spain’s border with Morocco

Spain’s Ministry of the Interior said more than 25,000 migrants who arrived at the border of the tiny territory of Ceuta have been sent back to Morocco. More than 150 migrants are being removed from Ceuta per minute, the ministry said. 

The statement came shortly after the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, estimated that 60,000 migrants had entered the enclave and said that at least 34 people had died, including some who drowned while swimming to reach the territory. 

Most who tried to cross the border are Moroccans. Seawalls and fences separate Morocco from Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish enclaves that sit on Morocco’s northern coast. They are the only land borders the European Union shares with Africa. 

Local officials have blamed the sharp increase in crossings on a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling, which makes it harder to turn away migrants arriving from Morocco by sea. Vivas called the ongoing situation “absolutely unsustainable.” He also criticized the government’s response, saying that “action was taken too late and insufficiently.” 

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a Friday news conference that “all of Spain stands” with Ceuta, and called the increase in migrants “an attack” and “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.” He is expected to visit the city Friday. 

“Ceuta is a Spanish city, and what happened yesterday deserves our full reproach, our condemnation at the strongest possible level of rejection, condemnation and consideration as deplorable,” he said.

Videos and images from Ceuta showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco onto local roads. The majority looked to be young men, though there were also families with women and children.

Sánchez said that he has asked buoys be deployed to create a “physical barrier,” and said troop numbers have been increased. Spain’s government has also deployed its army and sent extra forces, including diver teams and Maritime Service vessels, to Ceuta. 

Sánchez said the legislature is finalizing a system to “facilitate the repatriation of migrants who entered our country irregularly.” He said if necessary, the government may “modify certain aspects of the laws to guarantee those border repatriations as efficiently as possible.” He added that Morocco’s government is cooperating with Spain’s. 

Sánchez accused “human trafficking mafias” of exploiting the Spanish Supreme Court’s ruling. 

“This demands one of the strongest condemnations, particularly of the human trafficking mafias that deceive many young people, many of whom find death, whether in the ocean or at this border,” Sánchez said. 

Why are Moroccans fleeing to Ceuta? 

While Sánchez and others have linked the border crossings to the Supreme Court ruling, it was not immediately clear if that was what prompted so many people to enter Ceuta.

Ceuta and Melilla are seen as a destination for those trying to reach Spain from Africa. Both cities are heavily fortified, and many migrants who arrive in the enclaves are immediately turned back. Others are held in migrant shelters until they are processed, at which point they can apply for asylum in Spain. 

Spain is generally a main point of arrival into Europe for migrants seeking better economic opportunities or an escape from violence in their home countries. Migrant arrivals to Ceuta and Melilla are generally much lower than in other Spanish areas, like the Canary and Balearic Islands. 

Morocco does not officially recognize Ceuta and Melilla as Spanish territory, and often refers to them as occupied lands.

Ceuta is home to both Spanish and Moroccan residents and day workers, with a mixed population of Christians and Muslims. 

Crossing the border from Morocco into Ceuta does not immediately grant migrants free movement across Europe. To get across the channel that separates northern Africa and mainland Europe, migrants would have to pass additional border controls. Ceuta’s isolation from mainland Europe, with limited transportation to the rest of the EU, also makes such travel unlikely. 

This is not the first time Ceuta has seen a rise in Moroccan migrants. In 2021, Moroccan authorities relaxed border enforcement amid a diplomatic dispute with Spain, allowing 6,000 migrants to enter Ceuta in a single day. 

European Union leaders react

The crossings drew quick condemnation from conservative leaders across Europe. 

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on the European Union to suspend the Schengen agreement, which allows freedom of movement within member states.

Meloni said her nation was prepared to “intervene with extraordinary measures to defend the borders and safety of citizens.” 

Finland’s minister of the interior, Mari Rantanen, said “all European countries must support Meloni’s proposal.” 

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that he had given instructions to “immediately strengthen” controls at the border the nation shares with Spain.