Spain and Morocco have reinforced the border fence of a Spanish enclave on Friday and appeared to have halted mass crossings, after around 49,000 people arrived by sea and land in a single day, with at least 19 dead bodies found in the water.
Mass Crossings into Ceuta
The mass crossing into Ceuta, a Spanish-held spit jutting into the Mediterranean from Morocco, caused division in Europe, with Italy threatening to suspend the EU’s internal open border scheme.
Spanish authorities said they would try to expel those who had entered illegally as quickly as possible, despite a court ruling that has put some new restrictions on special “border rejection” rules that allow immediate expulsions.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was due to visit Ceuta on Friday with Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
Ceuta and Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city in northern Morocco, have the European Union’s only land borders with Africa. The two cities are each home to around 85,000 people.
Both cities periodically experience surges in attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe, but nearly 50,000 crossing in a single day appears to be unprecedented. Spain described it as the biggest crisis since at least 2021.
Reaction to the Crisis
Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres said on Friday that among factors contributing to the surge may have been a ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court earlier this month that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned under special rules.
On the Moroccan side of the border, thousands of migrants streamed into the town of Fnideq overnight despite a reinforced deployment of security that foiled most attempts to cross. Although the crossing appeared blocked, groups moved along the coast seeking routes around the fence. Some prepared to swim.
Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her country was prepared “to intervene with extraordinary measures to defend the borders and the safety of citizens, including the suspension of the Schengen Area with Spain,” referring to the EU’s internal border-free zone.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
