60,000 migrants stream into Spanish territory of Ceuta

Around 60,000 migrants poured into the Spanish territory of Ceuta in a period of under 24 hours from Thursday to Friday. Ceuta is one of two autonomous Spanish cities on the Mediterranean coast at the northwest tip of Africa. Social media videos of the mass migration seemed to show mostly young- to middle-aged men making the trip. At least 34 people died while entering the area, many by drowning as they swam to the city by the sea, said Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas Lara. Most of the migrants have traversed from Morocco. The situation in Ceuta was unsustainable for a city of around 80,000, Vivas said, according to the Associated Press.

Ceuta and the Spanish territory of Melilla share the European Union’s only land borders with Africa. Ceuta has been a Spanish possession since 1580.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote online that people could not be allowed to come to the union without following its rules. Dangerous crossings and smuggling must stop, and returns must be swift, she wrote. She dispatched commissioners to Spain and Morocco.

Meanwhile, Spain’s government sent armed forces to support the Civil Guard in the area and maintain security, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Friday. Additionally, the government will set up a physical barrier in the sea to block migrants, he said. The Spanish leader blamed human smugglers for deceiving young people into making the journey. Spain’s interior ministry said Friday that about 25,000 migrants have already returned to Morocco. On Friday, individuals were leaving the city at a rate of 150 people per minute.

Why are the migrants streaming in? Several weeks ago, Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported, Spanish news site El País reported. Those who cross by land or climb the border fence could still be deported immediately by immigration officers, without a hearing before a judge.

How have other world leaders responded? Italy’s leader Giorgia Meloni called for the suspension of the Schengen agreement, a treaty that eliminated internal border checks. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said France would strengthen border checks at the two countries’ shared border. Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party group in the European Parliament, said Sánchez needed to act swiftly to protect common external borders.