In Ceuta, thousands of migrants wait on the beach for a decision on their fate
Weeks after a late-July surge saw more than 70,000 people cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, up to 5,000 migrants remain, camped on a beach while awaiting rulings on their legal status. Many are living in makeshift shelters without basic necessities.
From afar, the reed-and-fabric huts lining El Trampolin beach in Ceuta, Spain's North African enclave, could pass for a summer holiday scene. Up close, the reality is different: barefoot, exhausted people who have endured long journeys to reach European soil.
They are among an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 migrants who remain in Ceuta after a late-July surge in which more than 70,000 people crossed the border from Morocco in a single wave. Most returned home voluntarily within days, but those who stayed have spent more than two weeks camped on the coastline, waiting for a legal ruling on their status.
Different origins, one beach
Among those who remain are people from North and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Bangladesh, Iraq, India, Palestine, Syria and Yemen. Tents are generally grouped by nationality or language, built from reeds and scraps of fabric, holding little more than a few belongings and cardboard for sleeping. Clothes are washed in the sea and food and water are shared among groups. Police vehicles are stationed nearby to monitor the site.
Many spent years in Morocco before deciding to cross into Ceuta. Others, including a Yemeni man who swam nearly eight kilometres to reach the enclave, fled war and a lack of water, electricity and security at home. Several Egyptians describe a gruelling route through Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, where they say they faced violence. Women are a minority among the migrants but are present too, including a young Moroccan woman who queues daily for a single meal distributed by the Red Cross.
Uncertainty ahead
What weighs most on the migrants is not knowing what comes next — whether their asylum claims will be approved, whether they will be deported, or transferred to other centres in Spain. Legal experts note that filing for asylum does not guarantee approval; decisions follow medical exams, security checks and an assessment of whether protection is warranted, and applicants from countries the EU deems “safe” face lower odds of acceptance.
The recent migration surge in Ceuta left 141 people dead, mostly by drowning, according to NGOs. Activists say Spanish and local authorities have so far failed to provide a dignified reception for those who remain, and are calling for guaranteed access to legal procedures, along with water, food and adequate shelter.
