Spanish authorities said Wednesday that hundreds of migrants were attempting to reach the area of Ceuta by swimming from Morocco.
The border security was overwhelmed by the action, as it had not expected this surge.
What do we know about migrant attempts to reach Ceuta?
“In the past few days, more than 1,500 migrants, including adults and minors, have arrived in Ceuta by sea,” Ceuta government leader Juan Jesus Vivas told reporters.
“The reception centers are collapsed and saturated,” he said.
Spain’s Civil Guard, maritime rescue services and the Red Cross reportedly rescued about 117 migrants from the water.
Moroccan authorities also detained dozens of people reportedly heading towards Spanish waters.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlasca told Spanish television channel Lasexta that authorities were facing an “extraordinary, extraordinary situation.”
“We are dealing with it with the means that we have already permanently deployed there,” Grande-Marlasca said.
He praised Moroccan authorities for their involvement, saying they were cooperating and that relations with the kingdom were “close and based on loyalty”.
Most Moroccans want to swim across
The Spanish government did not confirm how many migrants had swum to the area.
It is also unclear why so many people were trying to swim towards Spanish territory.
According to Moroccan and Ceuta activists, the swimmers were mostly Moroccans, as well as some Algerians who were living in Morocco while trying to migrate to Europe.
The incident follows a Spanish Supreme Court ruling earlier this month, which established that, unlike migrants arriving by land, migrants arriving by sea cannot be immediately deported across the border without due process.
However, activists have rejected the possibility that average Moroccans, including those swimming towards Ceuta, would be aware of such a decision, and have rejected a link between the ruling and the crossing.
Migrant arrivals into Spain via the Mediterranean enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla were down this year compared to the same period last year, as many migrants have sought other routes such as the Canary Islands.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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