Morocco Arrests Hundreds of Migrants Near Ceuta Border Amid Tightened Security

Moroccan security forces apprehended almost 300 migrants and 61 individuals accused of facilitating illegal crossings as they attempted to reach the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. The operation occurred amid heightened security along the border, prompted by recent calls on social media for a new mass migration attempt.

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We’re sleeping next to the sea, with cold and bad smells. We’re suffering a lot.

State broadcaster Medi 1 TV reported that 294 sub-Saharan African migrants were detained on Saturday while trying to enter Ceuta. Authorities also arrested 61 Moroccans suspected of aiding these migration efforts. This incident follows a major migration crisis two weeks prior, which saw over 72,000 individuals attempt to reach Ceuta, resulting in significant loss of life on both sides of the border, with official figures reporting at least 90 deaths.

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We don’t want to go back to Morocco

Many migrants who arrived during the previous surge remain in Ceuta, living in precarious conditions on beaches and the city's outskirts. On Sunday, hundreds of these migrants staged a protest on a beach, holding Spanish flags and banners that read, "We don’t want to go back to Morocco" and "We are also human." They chanted slogans expressing their exhaustion and need for a solution, urging Spanish authorities to grant them asylum rather than deport them back to Morocco.

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We are also human

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that migrants who entered irregularly would generally not be permitted to remain in Ceuta, travel to mainland Spain, or obtain legal status, with exceptions made only for cases of extreme vulnerability. A senior Moroccan diplomat indicated that over 20,000 Moroccan security personnel are deployed daily along the border with Ceuta, incurring substantial costs.

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We’re tired