The migration crisis in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in Morocco, is worsening, having been overrun by tens of thousands of people attempting to enter European territory. In the last few hours, the number of migrants who have died crossing to the autonomous city has risen to 43, while the Spanish government is accelerating repatriations, the European Union is reaffirming its support for Madrid, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is calling it an "attack" on Spain's territorial sovereignty.
"An unprecedented migratory pressure that could surpass the crisis of May 2021, when nearly 10,000 people entered the city in a few days," local media wrote. In the last week alone, thousands of migrants have entered the enclave, most of them swimming across the Tarajal breakwater, in what local sources described as an "unsustainable" situation.
The last few mornings, El Faro de Ceuta reports, have been particularly critical, with the Guardia Civil "overwhelmed, almost continuously engaged in rescuing people from the water, while on the Moroccan coast, a growing number of people continue to wait for the right moment to cross the sea." Over 25,000 migrants who arrived in Ceuta in recent days have already been repatriated to Morocco, from dawn this morning until 1:00 PM. Spanish government sources reported this, specifying that "exits from Ceuta to Morocco are proceeding at a rate of 150 people per minute."
"Estimates speak of around 60,000 people having entered in the last few hours, equivalent to 70% of Ceuta's population. The situation is unsustainable." This was stated by the president of the Spanish enclave in Morocco, Juan Jesus Vivas, after a meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Interior Minister, and security forces. "It's as if 34 million people entered Spain in 24 hours. This figure indicates that it's absolutely impossible to absorb this pressure," he added, denouncing the population's "feeling of anxiety, impotence, and in some cases, abandonment."
After the coordination meeting on the migration crisis, Pedro Sánchez highlighted the priorities of "restoring normality in Ceuta as quickly as possible," maintaining coordination with Morocco, and strengthening border control measures. "It is urgent to restore normality as quickly as possible and not jeopardize coexistence," the prime minister said. "What happened deserves our full condemnation and our strongest possible condemnation. The attack and violation of the territorial integrity of a Spanish city like Ceuta is deplorable," he insisted, noting that the situation "resembles that experienced in 2021," though without directing criticism of Rabat.
Sanchez also announced that the government has asked maritime authorities to install buoys along the border breakwater to create "a physical barrier" to arrivals by sea, specifying that this is "a temporary response", pending possible legislative changes to speed up repatriations.
From Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the images from Ceuta "unacceptable." "We cannot allow anyone to enter our Union without respecting our rules. Dangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And repatriations must be rapid, as our rules allow. I have appointed two Commissioners to support the monitoring of the situation. I am confident that our close cooperation with Morocco will yield concrete results."
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner echoed this sentiment: "The situation in Ceuta remains unacceptable. I reiterate that there are no flows towards the European continent or other Member States. The Schengen Code provides the legal instruments that apply to Ceuta and Melilla. Controls on people departing from Ceuta and Melilla remain in place." Brussels, he added, "welcomes the cooperation between Spain and Morocco to manage the situation and ensure rapid repatriations. Morocco is included on the EU list of safe countries of origin."
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares described Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani's message regarding the possible suspension of free movement within the Schengen area with Spain as "unworthy," and announced that he had summoned the Italian ambassador to Madrid.
Sources from the Spanish Foreign Ministry have also clarified that the migration crisis "has nothing to do with the regularization of migrants approved by the Spanish government," but was triggered by an interpretation of the recent Supreme Court ruling on people who swam across the Mediterranean, "exploited by mafias and criminal organizations."
(Unioneonline/D)