Thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain’s Ceuta enclave this week, prompting Madrid to deploy the Armed Forces as local officials warned that shelters, public services and security resources were being overwhelmed.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Spain deployed military personnel to Ceuta on Thursday after a major surge of migrants crossed from neighboring Morocco into the North African enclave, placing mounting pressure on local shelters, public services and security forces.
The precise number of arrivals remained uncertain as Spanish authorities had not issued a definitive total. Reuters and Spanish media reported that between 2,000 and 3,000 people entered Ceuta on Thursday, while local authorities said hundreds more had arrived earlier in the week.
Some police sources cited by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo put the possible number of crossings as high as 20,000, though that estimate had not been officially verified.
Many of those entering Ceuta reached Spanish territory by swimming around the Tarajal breakwater separating the enclave from Morocco, in some cases using flotation devices. Others crossed through border gates.
The rapid influx left local facilities struggling to accommodate the new arrivals. Ceuta regional leader Juan Jesus Vivas described the situation as both a humanitarian and security emergency and called on Spain’s central government to declare a national emergency and deploy additional security personnel.
Madrid responded Thursday by announcing that Spain’s Armed Forces would reinforce the Civil Guard “to maintain security in the city of Ceuta.”
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska were scheduled to travel to Ceuta on Friday as the government assessed the scale of the crisis and the resources required to respond.
Authorities said at least nine people died during Thursday’s crossings. Those deaths add to dozens of migrant fatalities already reported this year along the route into Ceuta.
The surge comes shortly after a ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court that migrants reaching the country by sea cannot be returned immediately to Morocco without receiving due process.
Officials in Ceuta have suggested that the ruling may have contributed to the increase in attempted sea crossings. Some migration advocates in Morocco, however, questioned whether most of those making the journey would have known about the legal decision before attempting to enter Spanish territory.
Moroccan officials had not publicly offered an explanation for the sudden rise in crossings. Spain’s Interior Ministry nevertheless said Moroccan authorities were cooperating with Spain to prevent additional arrivals and assist in returning people who entered illegally.
The situation recalled the migration crisis of May 2021, when approximately 8,000 migrants entered Ceuta over a two-day period during heightened diplomatic tensions between Madrid and Rabat.
Ceuta and Spain’s nearby enclave of Melilla occupy a unique position in the European Union’s border system. The two territories are the EU’s only land borders with Africa and have repeatedly become focal points for irregular migration from the continent into European territory.
With arrivals continuing and local infrastructure under strain, Spain’s decision to bring in military support represents an escalation of the government response as authorities attempt to secure the enclave, manage the humanitarian demands created by the influx and prevent further unauthorized crossings from Morocco.
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