Spain has deployed additional troops and police officers to its North African enclave of Ceuta after thousands of migrants reportedly crossed from neighbouring Morocco by swimming and wading through the sea.
Spanish authorities said migrants entered through the Tarajal breakwater, while reports put the number of arrivals between 2,000 and 3,000. Videos from the area showed large crowds, including young men as well as families with women and children, moving through streets and along the beach.
The Spanish Interior Ministry announced the deployment of 60 armed forces personnel and 30 additional Guardia Civil officers to reinforce border security. Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, had called for more resources and urged the central government to declare a national emergency, but Madrid rejected the request.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected in Ceuta with Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska as the government works with Moroccan and international authorities to restore normalcy. The latest surge has drawn comparisons with the 2021 border crisis, when more than 8,000 migrants arrived in Ceuta within two days.
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