Hundreds of Migrants Enter the Spanish Enclave of Ceuta by Swimming from Morocco

Spanish police announced on Monday that thousands of migrants, including hundreds of young people who attempted to swim around security measures, have attempted to cross the border from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in recent days.

Spanish police were seen in videos released on Spanish media over the weekend detaining migrants in the ocean both in broad daylight and at night in dense fog, as they struggled to distinguish the newcomers from large groups of beachgoers.

The spokeswoman of the Spanish government in Ceuta, Cristina Pérez, said reporters on Monday that since August 22, there had been an average of 700 attempts each day to cross the border, with a peak of 1,500 attempts on Sunday.

Pérez would not say how many had made it to Ceuta, but he did say that authorities were returning 150–200 people to Morocco every day in accordance with a Spanish statute that permitted “border rejections.” She praised the “loyal cooperation” of the Moroccan government.

For a considerable amount of time, migrants and refugees seeking better opportunities in Europe have been focusing on Ceuta and Melilla, two small Spanish possessions in North Africa that border the Mediterranean. Many seek to access the ex-slaves by water or by scaling the barbed wire barriers surrounding the independent cities.

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