A new wave of migration once again put Ceuta, the Spanish enclave located in North Africa, on alert. During the early hours and morning of Thursday, hundreds of people managed to enter the city, many of them swimming around the breakwater that separates Morocco from Spanish territory.
The arrivals occurred at a time when reception centers were already at the limit of their capacity. The Temporary Immigrant Reception Center (CETI) became completely overwhelmed, while emergency services and security forces tried to assist the newcomers, many of whom had injuries or signs of exhaustion after crossing the sea.
According to local authorities, between 1,500 and 2,000 people had entered over the past ten days, but the new wave further increased pressure on the city. The president of Ceuta asked the Spanish Government to declare a state of emergency and assume unified command to coordinate the response.
The crisis also opened a new legal debate. That same day, a Supreme Court ruling became known, determining that those who arrive by swimming cannot be immediately returned, as happens in Ceuta or Melilla.
Meanwhile, Spain and Morocco announced that they will strengthen coordination to speed up the return procedures for those who enter irregularly and try to contain a situation that authorities consider increasingly difficult to manage.
Images of hundreds of people arriving by sea once again traveled around the world and reopened the debate on immigration, border security, and the capacity for humanitarian response at one of Europe’s most sensitive borders.
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