Around 25,000 migrants returned to Morocco after mass border crossing into Ceuta
Spanish authorities said most of the 48,300 migrants who crossed from Morocco had already returned after the sudden surge overwhelmed border controls.
- On Friday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Ceuta after about 60,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave from Morocco since Thursday, equivalent to 70% of the city's population. Sánchez condemned the breach as "a violation of Spain's territorial integrity."
- Officials in Madrid attributed the surge to a Spanish Supreme Court ruling that prevents summary deportation of sea-based arrivals. Sánchez claimed smugglers misinterpreted this decision, causing the mass arrival to spread "like wildfire" through trafficking networks.
- At least 41 migrants died attempting the crossing, with some drowning and others killed in a stampede at Tarajal beach. Civil Guard representative Rachid Sbihi described the situation as a "serious humanitarian crisis," noting thousands including unaccompanied children were left sleeping in parks.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanded smuggling networks be dismantled, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni threatened to suspend Schengen agreements. Spanish politician Isabel Díaz Ayuso accused the government of allowing Spain to be "invaded."
- Migrants also attempted to breach Melilla, Spain's other North African enclave, where clashes with police erupted. Officials estimate that roughly 25,000 of the arrivals in Ceuta have already returned to Morocco as repatriation efforts continue.
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Spain estimated on Saturday that the situation in Ceuta had "almost" returned to normal after the return to Morocco of "almost" all migrants who had arrived in the enclave in recent days, at the heart of a migration crisis that had turned into a diplomatic dispute within the European Union.
Why did migrants return to Morocco just hours after crossing into Ceuta?
One of the biggest reasons was that migrants could not continue their journey beyond Ceuta. Spanish authorities stressed that irregular entry into Ceuta does not grant the right to remain in Spain, travel to the mainland or move freely across the European Union.
Almost all of the tens of thousands of migrants who have entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in recent days have returned to Morocco, according to the Spanish government, assailed by criticism from other European Union countries.
Jyllands-Posten
Almost all migrants have left Ceuta and the situation is largely normal, says Spanish Interior Minister.
Thousands begin journey home from Morocco border with Spain
The Spanish government announced on Friday evening that at least 48,000 of the 60,000 people who entered Ceuta in recent days had returned to Morocco. The post Thousands begin journey home from Morocco border with Spain appeared first on Vanguard News.
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