Hundreds of Moroccan Migrants Granted Asylum in Spain After Ceuta Crisis

"The situation is much calmer, it’s obvious, but people continue to arrive here every day. Swimming or trying to jump the fence," explain police sources to Ok Diario. Since the invasion of thousands of migrants in Ceuta, mostly minors, border control has been strengthened and efforts are being made to return these migrants, especially minors, to Morocco. Local authorities insist on the need to repatriate the some 700 minors still residing in the autonomous city.

As for adult migrants, they continue to wander the streets, waiting for the slightest opportunity to leave the city. But another possibility is open to them: applying for asylum in Spain. To benefit from it, migrants must provide proof that their life is threatened in their country of origin because of their religion, ideology or sexual orientation.

"The asylum seeker in the autonomous city of Ceuta (or in another case, Melilla), once his application has been filed, has the right to move freely in Spain (with the obligation to inform of changes of address)." This is the response of the Supreme Court to one of the appeals filed by the Spanish Commission for Refugee Assistance (CEAR). The direct consequence of this decision was that the asylum processing office in Ceuta was flooded with applications after the May migration crisis.

In total, nearly 1,200 migrants have obtained asylum out of the 1,600 applications registered in Ceuta, according to police sources who spoke to Ok Diario, adding that these people are now free to leave Ceuta to go to Spain or another European country.