by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
MADRID/RABAT (Worthy News) – Spain and neighboring Morocco reinforced security around the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after tens of thousands of migrants entered the territory illegally in recent days, while at least 34 people died attempting the dangerous crossing, authorities said Friday.
Around 60,000 people were estimated to have crossed into Ceuta over the past several days, Juan Jesús Vivas, the leader of the Spanish enclave in North Africa, told reporters Friday—more than half of Ceuta’s population.
He said the confirmed death toll had reached at least 34 people, underscoring the human cost of one of Europe’s largest recent migration surges.
Spain’s Interior Ministry said about 50,000 people had crossed since Thursday alone, with roughly 25,000 voluntarily returning to Morocco by Friday. Thousands more had entered earlier in the week, Worthy News learned.
BORDER CRISIS DEEPENS
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez traveled to Ceuta on Friday, describing the influx as “unexpected.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the situation “unacceptable,” saying the European Union was closely monitoring developments.
The mass arrivals also exposed divisions within Europe, with Italy threatening to seek Spain’s suspension from the European Union’s Schengen open-border area over concerns about migration controls.
Ceuta and Melilla, Spain’s two autonomous cities on Morocco’s northern coast, are the European Union’s only land borders with Africa and have long been flashpoints for irregular migration.
EU FACES MIGRATION PRESSURE
As tensions mounted, Spain deployed additional military units and police officers to reinforce security in Ceuta while authorities sought to prevent further crossings into both Spanish enclaves.
Spanish state broadcaster TVE reported that between 2,000 and 3,000 people crossed into Ceuta on Thursday alone.
Video footage showed hundreds of migrants swimming or using inflatable inner tubes to reach the enclave from Morocco, while others forced their way through a border gate and ran into the city.
“It was very tough. The police tried to stop us. But our will and determination allowed us to come here,” migrant Jadid Zacaria told Reuters after reaching Ceuta, still soaked from the sea. Some migrants were heard shouting, “Long live Spain,” as they entered the enclave.
DANGEROUS CROSSINGS CONTINUE
In the Moroccan border town of Fnideq, security forces used water cannons late Thursday in an effort to prevent further crossings, witnesses said.
Violence also erupted near Melilla, where local media and rights groups reported clashes at the Beni Ansar border crossing. Moroccan human rights activist Omar Naji said several vehicles were set ablaze and both migrants and security personnel were injured.
Spanish authorities said hundreds of additional police officers and dozens of troops had been deployed from the mainland to reinforce Ceuta’s security forces.
The scenes recalled the 2021 migration crisis, when around 10,000 migrants, many of them minors, entered Ceuta within days, overwhelming local authorities.
POLITICAL FALLOUT GROWS
The crisis has intensified Spain’s domestic political debate over migration after the government recently launched a program aimed at regularizing hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants already living in the country.
Opposition parties blamed the Socialist government for encouraging further illegal migration, while Madrid said human traffickers and criminal organizations were exploiting a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling affecting the return of migrants intercepted near the enclaves.
Authorities said Spain and Morocco were working closely together to curb the crossings as thousands more migrants remained near the border hoping to reach European territory, raising fears that the crisis could deepen in the coming days.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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