Beaten and thrown into the water, several migrants who arrived in Ceuta in recent days have been subjected to "inhuman" treatment. A video posted on social media on May 18 shows Spanish soldiers violently pushing them into the sea.
Moroccan security forces reportedly arrested and displaced sub-Saharan migrants present in Laâyoune. Among them were pregnant women and children, who arrived on May 7. Voices are rising to denounce violations of migrants’ rights.
The issue of Moroccan minor migrants who have landed on the Spanish coasts in the last 48 hours continues to divide the political class in Spain. The Spanish far-right party Vox is outraged that these minors have been welcomed instead of being sent back home.
The nine new coronavirus cases detected in Ceuta are linked to the recent mass arrivals from Morocco. This is what the Spanish Ministry of Health indicated on Thursday, during its daily update on the evolution of the epidemiological situation in the country.
The United States on Wednesday called on Spain and Morocco to work together to resolve the crisis in the autonomous city of Ceuta. In recent days, 8,000 Moroccan migrants in an irregular situation, according to official Spanish sources, have arrived in the city, despite the many repatriations to Morocco already carried out.
Two minors, one of whom is of Moroccan origin, took advantage of a resident’s absence in Saint-Nazaire to squat in her apartment. Finding herself unable to return home, as the door had been locked from the inside, she called the police who managed to evict the two young occupants who were sleeping in her bed.
A total of 1,350 migrants were expelled on Tuesday by the security forces from the city of Tangier. They are mostly from sub-Saharan countries.
Faced with the influx of migrants, especially minors who arrived in Ceuta between Monday and Tuesday, Spain has opened 250 reception centers in Andalusia to house them. Of different nationalities including Moroccan, these minors were counted among the 6,000 irregular migrants who reached Ceuta by swimming or on inflatable boats.
An extreme right-wing group called "the Phalangist Youth" organized a demonstration near the headquarters of the Moroccan Embassy in Madrid on Tuesday to protest the massive arrival of migrants in Ceuta . One of the protesters tried to burn the Moroccan flag.
The massive influx of migrants to Ceuta has prompted Morocco to deploy security forces to maintain order along the border and prevent forced crossings.
Moroccan and sub-Saharan migrants have set their sights on Melilla, the other Spanish enclave located on the Moroccan coast. More than 86 people managed to cross the barrier from Morocco, while the day before, 6,000 people had managed to reach Sebta by swimming, under the passive gaze of the Moroccan military.
Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, reacted to the massive arrival of Moroccan migrants in Sebta on Monday. She called on Morocco to "prevent irregular departures".