Marhaba Operation 2022: Low Turnout at Ceuta-Morocco Border Crossing

The National Police did not record any line of Moroccans from Europe at the Ceuta border with Morocco on Saturday, as part of the Marhaba Operation 2022 launched on Wednesday, June 15 after two years of cancellation due to the health crisis and diplomatic tensions between Spain and Morocco. The border post remained desperately "empty", with the three access lanes to the Moroccan border "completely cleared".

See also: Frontex Deploys 28 Agents to Boost Security at Ceuta Port for Marhaba Operation

The situation is "completely normal", reassures the police headquarters of the autonomous city in a press release. This drop in attendance comes a day after the deployment of 28 agents from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in Ceuta to strengthen the control system in the port of the city, in anticipation of the large influx of travelers expected from Algeciras (Cádiz).

See also: Moroccan Diaspora Return Operation Begins Slowly, Surge Expected in July

Over the first two days of the Marhaba Operation, only 11,096 Moroccans residing abroad (MREs) and 3,543 vehicles crossed Spain to Morocco, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior. In detail, 7,444 MREs and 2,839 vehicles left Algeciras, while 931 MREs and 373 vehicles left Almería, 2,001 MREs and 194 vehicles from Tarifa, 696 MREs and 126 vehicles from Malaga and 22 MREs and 11 vehicles from Motril.