Morocco detains more than 100 migrants near Ceuta border
Moroccan police have detained at least 111 people who tried to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after new calls on social media for a mass border crossing. Spain continues to reinforce security in the area and has warned it will deport anyone without legal residency status.
Moroccan authorities have detained at least 111 people who attempted to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta following fresh calls on social media for a mass crossing of the border. Citing Morocco's Interior Ministry, Reuters reported that only two of those detained were Moroccan nationals, while the rest were from countries south of the Sahara.
According to the Spanish news agency EFE, Moroccan police used tear gas to disperse groups of migrants roughly three kilometers from the border with Ceuta. AFP reports that in recent days Moroccan authorities have detained more than 60 people suspected of using social media to incite or facilitate illegal migration.
Security reinforced on both sides
On the Spanish side, police continue to patrol the streets of Ceuta, while local authorities had earlier installed a maritime barrier to prevent migrants from trying to swim into the enclave. Madrid has also sent 500 additional police officers to Ceuta from mainland Spain, bringing the total number of law enforcement personnel in the enclave to more than 1,600.
Spain's Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has said the country will deport to Morocco all migrants without the right to remain in Spain. He estimated that around 5,000 people who entered illegally during the July events remain in Ceuta.
The July crisis
In late July, more than 70,000 migrants from Morocco attempted to reach Ceuta by swimming, using inflatable rings, or small boats. One possible trigger was a ruling by Spain's Supreme Court that migrants caught trying to swim to Ceuta or Melilla could not be returned under a simplified procedure. To address the crisis, Spain deployed the army to Ceuta. On July 31, the Interior Ministry said nearly 50,000 people had illegally entered Ceuta, one of two land sections of the EU's external border with Africa alongside Melilla. Spain and Morocco agreed on the deportation of migrants who entered the enclave illegally, and 48,000 of them have already been deported. According to Spanish authorities, 141 people have died attempting to reach Ceuta.
