Spanish Ceuta Rushed by Hordes of Moroccan Migrants

"This situation is unprecedented. It breaks the trend that we have been recording throughout Spain of a systematic reduction year after year, month by month, in the arrivals of irregular migrants."

"The government of Spain is fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta."

"This is the moment to build solutions, with responsibility and cooperation."

"[Authorities will place buoys in the breakwaters to act as a] containment barrier. [The arrivals are a] violation [of Spanish territory]." 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez 

 

"The images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable."

"[We must witness the] swift [return of those who arrived in Ceuta]."

"We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules."

Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President 

At least 57 people have died after some 60,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta, a tiny Spanish-held spit jutting into the Mediterranean from Morocco, in the past 24 hours, Ceuta's leader Juan Jesús Vivas said Friday. (Antonio Sempere/The Associated Press)

 

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has distinguished his government as a European leader of the left, sympathetic to illegal migrants and prepared to give citizenship to some hundreds of thousands, who had formerly entered Spain, as a signal of his kind regard for their positive-discriminatory decision to choose Spain as their life-destination over remaining in their countries of origin where clearly opportunities for life-advancement are not as advantageous as they surmise the future would be for them in a European country. 

 

Spain's broad legalization plan with its migrant-conciliatory tone toward migrants arriving from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America set the tone for the regard Spain has cultivated among future migrant hordes. He has roundly criticized Israel for its invasion of Gaza on a mission to destroy the terrorist group Hamas's capacity to launch another and another and another October 7 mass atrocity on Israeli civilians. He is a critic of the 'war' on Iran, challenging the Trump administration on its focus to free Iranians from the grip of their persecutorial Islamist theocratic regime.

 

Despite this background, the sudden mass arrival of migrants from Morocco and Algeria surprised not only Spain but its neighbours throughout the European Union, shocking governments worldwide at the unexpected boldness of an estimated 60,000 migrant arrivals over a 24-hour period, arriving by sea, swimming or clambering fences into the Spanish territory outpost of Ceuta, with its 83,000 population, located 11 miles from the Spanish mainland.

 

Migrants wait to cross to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, from the Moroccan side of the border in Fnideq. (Reuters)

 

Even as images of the wild crush of people -- mostly young males, bringing nothing with them but their wild aspirations flooded social media Spain ordered a military deployment for order to be restored; a day later reinforcing security and border fences. Morocco, the source of the frantic migrant onrush, deployed water cannons in an effort to push back the migrants. The new migrants were swiftly repatriated a day later, but not before causing havoc in Ceutra, where shops were being looted and private homes entered by the new arrivals.

 

A shudder of apprehension went through Europe with the memory of the 2015 migrant crisis in the region. The finger of reproach and responsibility most favoured by the Sanchez government was human traffickers responding to a recent Supreme Court decision that migrants arriving by sea to Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to their source without due process. Spanish media interviewing migrants were given other reasons for the rush; phone or social media network messages that the border was "open" and there would be no hindrance to their passage.

 

The mass migration had unfolded "outside of our will", was the message from Morocco's ambassador to Spain, and that Morocco "wants these citizens to return to our country".  Across Europe outrage ruled, and mainstream political figures responded with stern authority, France declaring their border controls with Spain would be strengthened. Europe had already reached the conclusion that Spain was an irregular migrant liberal outlier.

 

"The images coming from Ceuta are striking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a concrete threat to the security of Europe's borders", wrote Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, calling for the suspension of Spain from the Schengen agreement allowing free movement between 29 European countries. Italy had the support of Finland in calling for Spain's exclusion from the agreement.

 

Spain deployed troops to reinforce police after thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa. The scene was reminiscent of 2021, when about 10,000 migrants entered the territory.  CBC News (still from video)