Morocco Prosecutes at Least 86 People After Mass Migrant Crossing Into Ceuta

Defendants face charges ranging from organizing illegal border crossings and rebellion to firearms offenses, vandalism and property damage following the entry of roughly 72,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Moroccan authorities have brought criminal cases against at least 86 people accused of helping organize or participating in last week’s mass illegal crossing into Ceuta, the Spanish territory in North Africa, according to reports from several news organizations.

The defendants reportedly include young men and minors. The allegations against them include rebellion, arranging illegal border crossings, transporting passengers without a driver’s license, overstaying visas and damaging public property, along with other criminal offenses.

Ceuta, a city of approximately 87,000 residents on the northern coast of Africa, is recovering from the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants seeking entry into European territory. The Spanish government said about 72,000 people participated in the chaotic crossing.

Authorities in Spain and Morocco have released sharply different fatality figures. Spain has reported at least 88 deaths, while the Moroccan government has placed the number at 11.

Spanish public broadcaster RTVE reported that approximately 86 people had entered the Moroccan judicial system over conduct connected to the crossing. The broadcaster said it confirmed the information through the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, a nongovernmental organization known by its French initials, AMDH.

According to information AMDH provided to RTVE, 52 defendants are being held in pretrial detention in Nador and have been placed at the disposal of local courts. That group reportedly includes two minors and 11 young people.

Another 34 defendants, including five minors, are being prosecuted in Tetouan on charges involving violent acts during the Ceuta incident.

RTVE reported that at least 11 members of the Tetouan group have already received prison terms ranging from three to six months for transporting Moroccan nationals to unauthorized border-crossing points.

The Spanish news agency EFE, citing information from Morocco’s court system, reported that nine people were sentenced to as long as six months in prison and fined 1,000 euros for helping organize the events.

An additional 20 people are facing proceedings on accusations that include disobedience, use of firearms, assaulting a public official, vandalism and destruction of public property.

Moroccan officials have blamed the mass crossing on human-trafficking organizations and false information circulated among prospective migrants. Spain’s Interior Ministry later echoed those claims.

Spanish authorities have also pointed to a June ruling by the country’s Supreme Court as a factor in the surge. The decision revised portions of Spain’s immigration regulations and prohibited law enforcement officers from conducting pushbacks at sea.

Officials said the change created a legal opening that tens of thousands of migrants attempted to use when they moved toward Ceuta, one of Spain’s two territories on the North African coast.

The resulting prosecutions now span multiple Moroccan jurisdictions and involve allegations against organizers, drivers and participants accused of violence or property damage during the crossing.