Spain’s 48-hour response: How authorities returned thousands of illegal migrants to Morocco
Spain has sent tens of thousands of illegal migrants back to Morocco within 48 hours after an unprecedented surge of crossings into the North African enclave of Ceuta. The mass migration triggered what officials described as a humanitarian and security crisis.According to Spain’s interior ministry, around 60,000 migrants entered Ceuta on Thursday, a figure that amounted to roughly 70 per cent of the enclave’s population. By Saturday, about 48,000 had already returned to Morocco as Spanish authorities rapidly restored control of the border.Images from Ceuta showed large groups of North African migrants being escorted by Spanish soldiers towards the frontier with Morocco.While many left voluntarily or were returned by the authorities, others refused to depart, with some reportedly hiding in tunnels and abandoned areas while others wandered through the city’s streets.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain had re-established border control, provided humanitarian assistance, returned “virtually all” of the migrants who entered irregularly and prevented unauthorised onward movement to other European countries in less than 48 hours. He said the operation had been carried out in coordination with Morocco.
Barriers, troops and tighter controls
The Spanish government has also begun installing a 500-metre-long inflatable containment barrier as a temporary measure to prevent further crossings.The mass return operation followed one of the largest migrant surges ever recorded in Ceuta, where many migrants swam several miles from the Moroccan coast or attempted to cross a breakwater barrier near a border checkpoint. Authorities used water cannons, tear gas and warning shots to repel some crossings. Several migrants drowned or were killed in a stampede during the attempt.Spanish armed forces and additional police units were deployed across Ceuta, while Moroccan security forces clashed with migrants on the other side of the border.
‘Absolutely unsustainable’: Ceuta leaders blame smugglers
Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas described the situation as “absolutely unsustainable” and condemned the influx as a “violation of Spain’s territorial integrity”. He blamed human smugglers for encouraging dangerous crossings and said they “deceive so many young people and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths”.The crisis has prompted wider concern across Europe. Italy temporarily reinstated border controls with Spain for air and sea travel, while France announced tighter checks on arrivals from Spain. Twenty-two European Union countries called for emergency talks on the sudden inflow of migrants.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the scenes from Ceuta were “unacceptable”.“We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules,” she said. “Dangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow.”
Migrants warn others not to make the journey
One Moroccan migrant, speaking to Spanish newspaper El País while waiting to cross back into Morocco, admitted that entering Ceuta had been a mistake.“I honestly don’t know why I came. I am going back, it’s that simple,” he said.“What we did here is nothing good nor anything fun. People are dying here. I beg you, please, for those who haven’t come yet, don’t. Don’t do it.”
Why the surge happened
Spanish authorities have linked the border surge to a recent Supreme Court ruling that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported, unlike those crossing by land or climbing the border fence. Sánchez said migrant smuggling networks had misinterpreted the ruling and spread false information.“The interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling spread like wildfire over the past few hours through the networks of human trafficking organisations,” he said.Sánchez has written to Brussels urging a “swift, effective and coordinated” European response and criticising the lack of support from some EU member states. He said Spain had managed the emergency largely on its own despite previously assisting other European countries during migration crises in Belarus and Lampedusa.Morocco’s ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich, said the events in Ceuta had unfolded against Morocco’s wishes and insisted that her country had always prioritised “legal, orderly and safe migration for all”.
