AROUND 40,000 migrants have crossed into Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco in recent days, security officials said, after thousands more arrived overnight in the worst migration crisis to hit the Spanish enclave in years.
The figure dwarfs the 2021 crisis, when around 10,000 migrants entered the territory over several days, and represents an almost 50% increase in Ceuta’s usual population of around 80,000.
Hundreds of young migrants were seen sleeping rough on Friday morning following chaotic scenes on Thursday, when a fresh wave of arrivals overwhelmed border security.
Dozens of businesses across the tiny North African enclave have shut their doors amid reports of violent confrontations between migrants and local residents.
According to El Pais, some migrants have even chosen to return to Morocco after allegedly being threatened by locals, with reports that some residents threw rocks or brandished firearms at the new arrivals.
In Fnideq, the Moroccan town bordering Ceuta, security forces used water cannons in an attempt to stop more migrants from making the crossing.
READ MORE: Fourth body pulled from the sea off the Costa del Sol – as Ceuta border crisis sees dozens drown
Meanwhile, in Melilla, Spain’s other autonomous city on the Moroccan coast, footage shared by local media showed violent scenes at the Beni Ansar border crossing, with security vehicles set alight.
The Melilla government said between 300 and 400 migrants entered from Morocco on Thursday night, prompting authorities to close the border.
“We had been noticing an increase in migrants during July, but not on the same scale as in Ceuta,” said city president Juan Jose Imbroda.
The unprecedented influx has prompted the Spanish government to deploy troops to support the overstretched Guardia Civil.
“The armed forces will reinforce the Guardia Civil in the exercise of its duties and any other tasks necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta,” the Interior Ministry said.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez is due to travel to Ceuta today alongside interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
The pair will visit the border area, meet with representatives of the state security forces and later hold a joint press conference with Ceuta president Jesus Vivas.
So far, at least 19 people are believed to have died attempting to reach the enclave.
Earlier this month, Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants intercepted while swimming towards Ceuta or Melilla cannot be automatically pushed back to Morocco, unlike those caught attempting to scale the land border fences.
Instead, anyone intercepted at sea must now enter Spain’s standard immigration process, which can take months and gives them the opportunity to formally apply for asylum or residency.
The Interior Ministry has accused human trafficking gangs of exploiting the legal ruling to ‘encourage the flow of undocumented migrants’.
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