Spain Seeks EU Help As Thousands Of Migrants Remain In Ceuta

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

MADRID/CEUTA (Worthy News) – Spain was seeking additional European Union help Sunday as thousands of migrants remained stranded in its North African enclave of Ceuta, a month after an unprecedented mass crossing from Morocco in which at least 96 people were confirmed dead.

Estimates of the number still in Ceuta vary considerably. Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has put the figure at around 5,000, including about 1,500 minors, while local authorities have previously estimated that as many as 11,000 could remain in the enclave.

Journalists and other observers have reported thousands of migrants living or sleeping on beaches, sidewalks, in parks and other public spaces. Residents near one emergency reception center estimated that between 4,000 and 4,500 people were concentrated in surrounding streets alone.

At least 72,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30, according to Spanish authorities, with many swimming around border barriers to reach European Union territory. Most subsequently returned to Morocco.

SPAIN SEEKS EU HELP

Amid the escalating crisis, Spain has requested assistance from Frontex, the European Union’s border and coast guard agency, as well as Europol and the European Union Agency for Asylum as authorities seek to identify migrants, process asylum requests and determine who can legally be returned.

Spain’s government also said Sunday it would provide an emergency package worth 165 million euros ($193 million) to help Ceuta recover from the crisis, with the Council of Ministers expected to approve the measures Tuesday.

The package includes support for businesses, trade, and tourism, as well as additional funding for education, healthcare, and the justice system, all of which have come under pressure since the mass crossing.

Madrid also asked for 10 additional Frontex officers to assist with screening, while EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said Brussels was working on the request and would take a swift decision.

MIGRANTS FACE UNCERTAINTY

For thousands still waiting, uncertainty over their future is mounting as Spanish authorities determine who may qualify for international protection and who could be returned to Morocco.

The crossing itself exacted an enormous human toll. Spanish authorities have confirmed 82 deaths on their side of the border, while Morocco has reported another 14, bringing the confirmed death toll to at least 96.

Many of the victims drowned attempting to reach Ceuta by sea, while others died amid the chaotic surge at the frontier. Human rights organizations have reported higher figures, raising concerns that the eventual toll could increase.

Conditions have remained difficult for those who survived. Moroccan migrant Ayoub Elarroud, 24, who swam to Ceuta, described sleeping beside the sea in poor conditions while waiting for authorities to decide his future.

SURVIVORS DESCRIBE SUFFERING

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

Yet tensions remained high. Four Moroccan migrants were expelled to Morocco under a court order after being convicted of assaulting three Civil Guard officers who had sought to check their documents, authorities said Sunday.

The men had been carrying sharp objects and knives and had threatened several residents before attacking the officers during a pursuit, according to judicial sources. The officers suffered minor injuries.

Their expulsions followed another confrontation in which 12 migrants were arrested after stones were thrown at a Spanish military vehicle, injuring one soldier and four migrants. Eleven were subsequently expelled.

RESIDENTS FEEL PRESSURE

The prolonged presence of thousands of migrants has also triggered demonstrations by residents demanding that they leave, while tents and belongings used by migrants on Trampolín Beach have been attacked and burned.

Gema Jaramillo, a resident of Ceuta’s Juan XXIII neighborhood, described the continuing crisis as “a nightmare” affecting both residents and migrants.

“They don’t want to leave here, and we can’t live like this either,” she told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE.

Jaramillo said residents initially provided water and other help to migrants living between parked cars, but that the scale and duration of the crisis had overwhelmed the community.

SÁNCHEZ FACES PRESSURE

The crisis has also increased political pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is expected to appear before an extraordinary session of parliament Thursday to explain his government’s handling of the mass influx.

The opposition People’s Party has demanded urgent action and warned against allowing Ceuta to become what it described as a permanent migrant reception center.

The political dispute comes as Ceuta, a Spanish territory of roughly 84,000 residents surrounded by Morocco and the Mediterranean Sea, struggles to accommodate a migrant population numbering in the thousands.

Sánchez’s government has said it intends to return migrants who have no legal right to remain while expanding reception capacity and seeking European assistance to accelerate screening and asylum procedures.

For thousands who made it across the border, however, the immediate question remains unresolved: whether their dangerous journey will ultimately lead to a new life in Europe or a return to Morocco.

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