Thousands of migrants have tried to enter Ceuta irregularly in recent days. On average, about 700 people have attempted to cross the border since August 22.
Thousands of migrants have tried to cross the border since Morocco to the Autonomous City of Ceuta (Spain) in recent days, including hundreds of young people who tried swim around the controlsas reported on Monday by the Spanish authorities.
Videos broadcast in the Spanish media over the weekend showed the Spanish Police intercepting the migrants in the water at night in thick fog, but also in broad daylight, trying to separate the newcomers from the crowd of bathers.
Cristina Pérez, delegate of the Spanish Government in Ceuta, told the press on Monday that since August 22 and average of 700 people They had tried to cross the border irregularly dailywith a maximum of 1,500 attempts on Sunday.
Pérez did not reveal how many had successfully reached Ceuta, but explained that authorities were expelling back Morocco between 150 and 200 people per day, and thanked the neighboring country for its cooperation.
1,622 arrivals from January to mid-August
Ceuta and Melilla, two small Spanish territories in North Africa, have long been an access route for irregular immigrants seeking a better life in Europe. Many try to jump the barbed wire that surround the Spanish autonomous cities or try to reach those enclaves by mar.
Due to geography, Spain relies heavily on Morocco’s willingness to control arrivals across those borders. In 2021after a diplomatic dispute between the two countries, thousands of people, including many unaccompanied Moroccan childrenarrived in Ceuta in a matter of days, overwhelming the Spanish authorities.
Although Spain and Morocco have standardized since then his relations and have worked together to restrict irregular migration, authorities in Ceuta say they are under pressure again this year. From January to mid-Augustthere has been 1,622 arrivals of immigrants to Ceuta, compared to just 620 in the same period last year, according to statistics published by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.
Although the number of migrants arriving in Ceuta represents only a small fraction of the more than 31,000 irregular arrivals to Spain This year, Pérez said the 18.5 square kilometer territory is under “extreme migratory pressure.”
