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Thousands of migrants broke into the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday, prompting local authorities to ask the Spanish government to declare a national emergency and request the intervention of the Army to restore the border.
Spain's Interior Ministry said it would ensure the safety of citizens and the integrity of the national border, but that the government could not declare a national emergency due to concerns related to migration.
“Currently, the situation is one of absolute chaos,” said Rachid Sbihi, head of the association representing Spain's Civil Guard officers in Ceuta, who monitor the border. “Exact numbers cannot be given, it is impossible, there are thousands crossing,” he said, adding that at the border, “right now, the situation is one of total collapse.”
Achraf Maimouni, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in northern Morocco, described the situation as “exceptional.”
“The Tarajal border opened under unusual circumstances this morning and people crossed,” he said.
Videos recorded on Tarajal beach showed crowds of people, mostly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters toward local roads. Although most appear to be young men, there were also families with women and children. “Long live Spain!” some shouted at a freelance photographer working for The Associated Press.
The escalation at the border between Spain and Morocco comes after a surge in the number of migrants attempting to reach the small enclave on Wednesday, primarily by swimming. So far, it is unknown what prompted so many migrants to cross into Ceuta. At least three people died while attempting to reach the enclave by sea, reported Sbihi and activists in both Morocco and Ceuta.
Moroccan authorities have not publicly commented on the crossings, and the Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Spain's Interior Ministry said the government of Morocco was “collaborating closely” with Spain to handle the situation, noting that Moroccan police are “stopping the arrival of numerous people” attempting to cross the border. Both countries agreed to work together “for the return, as soon as possible, of all people who have entered Ceuta illegally.”
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska will travel on Friday to Ceuta, located on the North African coast, to assess the situation.
Spain is a major arrival point in Europe for migrants seeking better economic opportunities or fleeing violence in their home countries.
To reach Ceuta, located on the North African coast, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Castillejos, covering about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) to reach Spanish territory. Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.
The scenes of people crossing the border en masse are reminiscent of the border crisis of May 2021, when more than 8,000 migrants broke into Ceuta in just two days.
Juan Jesús Vivas, head of the Ceuta regional government, asked the national government in Madrid to declare a national emergency on grounds of national security, and requested more police and for the Army to be deployed at the border.
Vivas declared that additional police and soldiers are necessary “to ensure the inviolability of the border and public safety.”
Vivas warned on Wednesday that migrant shelters were overflowing, with hundreds of people sleeping on the streets after more than 1,500 migrants entered the territory in the last week. But thousands more crossed overnight and on Thursday.
Spain's Interior Ministry, which tracks irregular migration, did not confirm the number of migrants who had arrived in Ceuta in recent days, but said it would release its next migration report on August 3. As of July 15, nearly 3,000 migrants had entered Ceuta by land or sea this year, according to ministry figures.
The Interior Ministry said that legislation contemplating a declaration of national emergencies does not consider migration flows as a risk to national security.
Government administrations “are acting in coordination to respond as quickly and effectively as possible to the situation in Ceuta,” it stated.
Ceuta, which sits on a historical isthmus, has been a Spanish possession since 1580. Its mixed population of Christians and Muslims, Spanish and Moroccan residents and cross-border workers, lives in relative harmony behind a border fence that many desperate migrants from across Africa attempt to cross in search of a better life in Europe.
[Publicidad]