Moroccan police have arrested 111 people who attempted to enter Spain’s north African territory of Ceuta, amid tightened security on both sides after social media posts called for another mass crossing. The attempted crossing on Saturday came two weeks after more than 72,000 migrants surged into Ceuta, causing tensions within the EU and prompting anti-immigration rhetoric among far-right parties worldwide. At least 96 people died trying to reach European soil.
A source in Morocco’s interior ministry told news agency Reuters that those detained included 109 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and two Moroccan citizens arrested in or around Fnideq, the Moroccan city near Ceuta. Moroccan police used teargas to disperse groups of migrants gathered on hills about 1.9 miles from the border, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
In response to the attempted crossing, Moroccan police have increased their presence near the border, with hundreds of police officers, some in riot gear and others in plainclothes, patrolling the area. Meanwhile, in Ceuta, Spanish soldiers are guarding supermarkets while police patrol the main streets. The city was calmer than in the days after the deadly crossing attempt on 30 July.
Madrid has since installed a maritime barrier and deployed more than 500 additional police officers from mainland Spain, raising the total in Ceuta to more than 1,600. The interior ministry said the reinforcements would remain for as long as needed. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that the government would continue to deploy whatever personnel are necessary to restore normality as soon as possible and prevent events like those of 30 July from happening again.
About 5,000 migrants remained in Ceuta, with hundreds sheltering from scorching heat under makeshift bamboo shelters on the urban beach of El Trampolin. Grande-Marlaska said migrants who entered irregularly would not be allowed to stay in the territory, travel to mainland Spain or obtain legal status, except in rare cases involving extreme vulnerability. Those without a right to remain would be returned to Morocco, he added.
Rabat has warned that it would prosecute organisers and participants of any mass crossing, and authorities have prevented several groups from boarding trains and buses to northern Morocco in cities such as Casablanca, Fez and Kenitra. However, witnesses told Reuters that some migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were bypassing security checkpoints by taking mountain routes towards Fnideq.
