Thousands of Illegal Immigrants Breach Morocco’s Border With Spanish Enclave of Ceuta

The leader of Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta has declared a national emergency after thousands of illegal immigrants breached the border to Spain.

The government of Ceuta on July 30 asked the Spanish government to deploy the army to the enclave and fully close the borders.

Ceuta is a Spanish autonomous city located in North Africa, like Melilla, which together represent the European Union’s only land borders with Africa, and often face surges by illegal migrants seeking to reach Europe.

Social media footage reviewed by The Epoch Times shows thousands of young men at Tarajal beach, mainly Moroccans, running, walking and cheering on the beach and roads. The number of people present has not yet been independently confirmed.

Juan Jesús Vivas, head of the Ceuta regional government, asked for more police and for the army to be deployed on the border, in a July 30 post on the official account of the Government of Ceuta X account.

“We are facing a situation of absolute humanitarian and social emergency,” Vivas told the Spanish Radio station Cadena SER. He said that some immigration facilities were ‌operating at ⁠2,400 percent of capacity.

Vivas said that Ceuta could face a situation comparable to the May 2021 migration crisis, when 10,000 people entered the enclave in mere days.

A Guardia Civil spokesperson said the immigrants were “massively entering from the ⁠sea” through the Tarajal breakwater, but could not provide any estimates for their numbers. State television TVE on Thursday reported that 2,000 to 3,000 people had crossed.

Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government is “fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta.”

“We are mobilizing all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normalcy as soon as possible,” he said in a July 30 post on X.

The surge follows two major policy shifts by Spain this year including a mass granting of legal status to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, and a recent court ruling barring summary expulsions of immigrants who swim ashore.

Spain’s Supreme Court ruled on June 29 that “hot returns,” or summary expulsions without formal proceedings, cannot be applied to migrants intercepted at sea who swim into Ceuta or Melilla.

In April 14, Sánchez’ government granted a royal decree launching the regularization of people living in the country illegally, a process expected to affect nearly half a million individuals.

The proposal was first presented on Jan. 27 to allow about 500,000 illegal immigrants already living and working in Spain to obtain legal status through an accelerated process.

Irene Montero, a former equality minister and current MEP from the hard-left Podemos party, said in an April 14 post on X that the process could ultimately extend further, stating that up to 800,000 illegal immigrants should be granted papers.

The situation in Ceuta has drawn major criticism from the opposition.

The right-wing party Vox said that “thousands of Moroccans are crossing the Ceuta border because of the policies” of Sánchez.

“They are not exiles, nor refugees, nor women, nor children; they are all men of military age,” it said in a July 30 post on X.

Santiago Abascal, leader of Vox, said in a July 30 post on X, “They’re not coming fleeing from any war or poverty. It’s an invasion.”

European leaders have criticized the mass legal status plans as Spanish residence permits and regularized immigrants would be entitled to travel within the Schengen area of the European Union for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

Alice Weidel, co-chair of Germany’s right-wing, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said that “already more than 1,500 migrants, predominantly from Morocco and Algeria, have entered the EU in a very short time.”

“Their presumed destination is likely Germany. Borders must now be closed and rejections rigorously enforced,” she said in a July 30 post on X.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.