Hundreds of migrants arrested near Ceuta border in latest crackdown

Arrests near Ceuta

Moroccan security forces have arrested hundreds of migrants trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta by land and sea, tightening border security after calls for a new mass crossing. Moroccan state broadcaster Medi 1 TV said 294 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were arrested on Saturday while attempting to enter Ceuta. Authorities also arrested 61 Moroccans accused of facilitating the migration attempts, the broadcaster reported.

The arrests follow a surge in social media posts urging people to head to Ceuta, and both Moroccan and Spanish authorities increased their security presence in response. The latest operations come two weeks after more than 72,000 would-be migrants rushed toward Ceuta in one of the deadliest migration crises to hit the region.

The deadliest border crisis

At least 90 people died on both sides of the border, according to official figures, though human rights groups have reported higher numbers. Many of the dead drowned or were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier near a border checkpoint.

This week, the toll became visible in a somber ritual at Ceuta’s Muslim cemetery. Against a murmur of prayers, body bags were lowered into graves marked only with numbers. Gravediggers placed the first four victims in cinderblock plots as a small group of locals watched. Eighteen migrants were laid to rest on Friday, the dead among the more than 90 who lost their lives during Spain’s deadliest border crisis three weeks ago.

The identities of the buried remain unknown. An Islamic cleric read prayers and chants while funeral workers worked quickly to lower the white body bags and cover them with soil. More burials are expected soon. All of those buried on Friday were men, said the cemetery’s acting manager, Said. The grave markers were numbered stones, in case families claim the bodies in the future.

Repatriation dispute

Ceuta’s city government spokesperson said the paperwork to repatriate the bodies was complete, but Morocco's government hasn't accepted it. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights, a left-leaning nongovernmental organization, called for the burials in Ceuta to be halted until every effort had been made to identify the bodies and repatriate them to Morocco, the country of the majority of migrants. In a statement, the NGO asked Morocco's foreign ministry to ensure that the bodies are returned to the families so they can be buried with dignity, calling the burials a “new human tragedy” adding to the “disaster of displacement and missing persons.”

Morocco’s foreign ministry has not responded to questions from The Associated Press about the burials or suggestions it is blocking repatriation.

Migrants remain stranded

The scale of the remaining outflow is in dispute. Local authorities say between 9,000 and 10,000 people have stayed in Ceuta, while Spain’s national government cites around 5,000. An estimated 5,000 to 8,000 remained in Ceuta after the mass crossing, according to other estimates.

Most of these migrants are in precarious conditions on Trampolin beach or the city’s outskirts, awaiting a chance to continue to continental Europe. Ayoub Elarroud from Morocco’s Tetouan told Reuters: “We’re sleeping next to the sea, with cold and bad smells. We’re suffering a lot,” adding that police were blocking them from going to the city centre.

Protest and policy

On Sunday, hundreds of migrants staged a protest on a popular urban beach, urging Spanish authorities to grant them asylum instead of returning them to Morocco. Protesters held up banners reading “We don’t want to go back to Morocco” and “We are also human,” while chanting slogans like “We’re tired” and “We need a solution.”

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said migrants who entered irregularly would not normally be allowed to stay in the exclave, travel to mainland Spain, or obtain legal status, except in rare cases of extreme vulnerability.

A senior Moroccan diplomat told AP that more than 20,000 Moroccan security personnel are deployed along the border with Ceuta each day, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. Migrants also attempt to reach Melilla, another of Spain’s exclaves on Morocco’s northern coast.

Drivers of the crisis

The mass entry has multiple attributed catalysts. Moroccan and Spanish authorities says the recent surges are linked to social media rumors and human smuggling networks, while migrants themselves cite unemployment and low wages. The influx was also described by Africa News as fueled by misinformation, poverty, and lack of opportunities.

Perspectives

Moroccan and Spanish authorities

Both governments attribute the crisis to misinformation and smuggling networks and, accordingly, have intensified security, with Moroccan forces deploying tens of thousands of personnel daily.

Human rights groups

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights calls for halting burials until identification and repatriation, framing the crisis as a humanitarian disaster and demanding dignity for the dead.

Migrants

Migrants remain hesitated to return to Morocco, demanding asylum in Spain and citing hardship on the beaches, with scarce economic opportunities as their primary motivation for the hazardous journey.