BARCELONA (AP) – Thousands of migrants have attempted to cross the border from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in the last few days, including hundreds of youth who tried to swim their way around controls, Spanish authorities said on Monday.
Videos broadcast on Spanish media over the weekend showed Spanish police intercepting migrants in the water at night amid a thick fog but also in broad daylight, struggling to separate the new arrivals from crowds of beachgoers.
Spanish government’s representative in Ceuta Cristina Pérez told journalists on Monday that since August 22 an average of 700 people had attempted to breach the border daily, with a peak of 1,500 attempts on Sunday.
Pérez did not disclose how many had successfully reached Ceuta but Pérez explained that following Spanish law that allowed for “border rejections” authorities were sending back to Morocco between 150 and 200 people a day. She thanked Moroccan authorities for their “loyal cooperation”. Ceuta and Melilla – two tiny Spanish territories in North Africa bordering the Mediterranean – have long been targetted by migrants and refugees seeking better lives in Europe.
Many attempt to climb over barbed wire fences encircling the autonomous cities or reaching the exclaves by sea.
Due to geography, Spain relies largely on Morocco’s goodwill to control those borders and keep migrants out.
In 2021, following a diplomatic spat between the two nations, thousands of people, including many unaccompanied Moroccan children poured into Ceuta in a matter of days overwhelming Spanish authorities.
