Crossing to Ceuta leaves 24 dead and leads Spain to send the Army

The new migration crisis has brought thousands of people to the land and sea borders between Moroccan territory and the Spanish enclave located in North Africa. Preliminary police estimates indicate that around 49,000 migrants may have managed to enter Ceuta since Thursday, although the Spanish government has not yet released an official toll.

The number represents more than half of the city's population, where approximately 83 thousand people live. The movement intensified from noon on Thursday and largely surpassed the crisis recorded in 2021, when around 10,000 migrants entered the territory in 48 hours.

After the mass arrival, hundreds or even thousands of people began to return to Morocco this Friday. Images shown by Spanish broadcasters showed groups crossing the beach again towards Moroccan territory, while a smaller number still tried to reach Ceuta by sea.

In the Moroccan town of Fnideq, close to the border, journalists reported violent clashes between security forces and hundreds of people trying to cross over to the Spanish side.

Faced with the crisis, the Spanish government sent military personnel to support the Civil Guard and reinforced the police force responsible for security in Ceuta. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska traveled to the enclave this Friday to monitor the operation.

Sánchez classified the mass entry as a violation of Spanish territorial integrity and stated that the government will use all available mechanisms to protect the city and its residents.

“What happened yesterday was an attack, a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity,” he declared.

The Prime Minister also addressed a message to the population of Ceuta and recognized the emotional impact caused by the crisis.

"Spain is by your side. We fully understand the emotional suffering and state of anxiety that you have been experiencing in recent hours," he said.

According to Sánchez, the episode interrupts a 37% downward trend in irregular migration flows recorded this year.

Moroccan authorities have tightened controls to reduce pressure on the border. The governments of both countries stated that they maintain cooperation during the crisis and attributed the mobilization to human trafficking networks.

The Spanish Ministry of the Interior declared that criminal groups had used a recent decision by the Spanish Supreme Court to encourage attempted entry, especially among undocumented young people.

The ruling determined that people who arrive in the country by sea irregularly cannot be immediately returned to another State. Direct delivery to foreign authorities would continue to be valid only for those who crossed physical containment structures, such as border fences.

Spanish right-wing and extreme-right parties held Sánchez's government responsible for the crisis and linked the episode to the extraordinary process of regularization of foreigners underway in the country. The Executive rejected the accusation and stated that the measure only applies to people who already reside and work in Spain.

Tragedy at the border: the number of migrants killed in Ceuta rises to 19

Authorities estimate that more than 40,000 migrants have entered the Spanish enclave irregularly in recent days. The crisis left hundreds of people sleeping in public spaces and led to the closure of border points with Morocco