Ceuta urges Spain to declare emergency as migrants flood border
The Spanish enclave of Ceuta asked the central government to declare a national emergency and deploy the army after hundreds of migrants crossed the breakwater from Morocco, prompting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to pledge an immediate response.
Officials in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the North African coast have asked the Madrid government to declare a national emergency and send military forces to reinforce the border with Morocco. Video footage captured crowds of people walking around the breakwaters and scaling the fence, with reports that police were overwhelmed as migrants swam across from the Moroccan side.
Juan Jesús Vivas, head of Ceuta’s regional government, said the city is facing a humanitarian and social emergency and that between 1,500 and 2,000 people have arrived in the past ten days, representing about 2% of the local population. He warned that resources at the temporary migrant reception centre are exhausted.
"We are fully committed to providing an immediate response," Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, adding that the government is mobilising resources, coordinating with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing measures to restore normalcy.
The influx follows a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling that migrants arriving by sea cannot be immediately returned across the border, a decision that applies to the unique status of Ceuta and Melilla. Authorities have not yet explained why the latest wave of arrivals occurred.