Ceuta sends 21 migrants back to Morocco after they threw stones at soldiers

Twenty-one migrants who threw stones at a military patrol in Ceuta have been identified and agreed to return voluntarily to Morocco, according to sources within Spain's Civil Guard.

The incident took place Saturday evening on Trampolin beach, one of the areas where many migrants still living on the streets of the North African Spanish enclave have gathered. The Civil Guard intervened after soldiers reported that they were being targeted by stones. The confrontation ended without injuries or material damage, the sources said.

Most of the 70,000 migrants who arrived from Morocco at the end of July left soon afterward. Between 5,000 and 10,000 remain in Ceuta, depending on the estimate: the central government puts the figure at about 5,000, while local authorities say it is closer to 10,000.

Tensions have continued in the territory, which covers 18.5 square kilometers and has 80,000 residents. Stone-throwing incidents involving military patrols have already led to expulsions, while clashes with police have occurred during demonstrations by residents demanding that the migrants leave.

The Spanish government, facing sharp criticism from the right-wing and far-right opposition over its handling of the crisis, is trying to accelerate returns. It decided Saturday to take control of Ceuta's port after local authorities, led by the opposition People's Party, rejected the installation of temporary shelters. Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said the shelters would be dismantled and were not intended to keep migrants in Ceuta. “The sooner we identify them, the sooner they can be returned,” he said on public television.

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The sooner we identify them, the sooner they can be returned.