45,000 Migrants Voluntarily Leave Spain After Mass Ceuta Crossing, Cite Lack Of Food And Shelter

At least 57 migrants died after thousands of Moroccan’s entered the Spanish territory of Ceuta from Thursday until Friday morning. Within hours, about 45,000 people voluntarily headed back to Morocco. Spanish officials stated most of the 50,000 sea and land arrivals were already returning independently.

Some of the deaths were caused by victims drowning while others died in a stampede.

The arrivals equalled a significant part of Ceuta’s native population, around 70% of the enclave’s population. This surge prompted local officials to request military and police reinforcements to restore order as thousands of predominantly young male migrants roamed the streets. Anxious residents watched armed Spanish police officers and soldiers patrol while many migrants slept on the pavement overnight.

No Food or Shelter

Some swam for miles, others faced Spanish army officers who fired warning shots and deployed tear gas and water cannons to block people from crossing. Moroccan security forces also wielded batons and fired tear gas to disperse crowds at the border gates to block further entry, Reuters reported.

On the Spanish side, military vehicles were stationed along parts of the border, while dozens of migrants remained on a hill in Morocco, watching from a distance after being unable to cross.

Hundreds of migrants were seen making their way back into Morocco through official border crossings and gaps in the fence. Several said they had been unable to find food or shelter after reaching Ceuta.

A young Moroccan man from Tangier told the news agency, "Honestly, I don't even know why I came, and now I'm going back. I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday, even though I brought some money with me...What we're doing is neither good nor enjoyable."

Ayman, a 20-year-old hairdresser from Larache, swam for five hours to reach Ceuta on Wednesday. "There was no food inside Ceuta and we were kicked out badly by the [Spanish] army," Ayman told the news agency.

Policy Triggers and Reactions

Ceuta's authorities linked the sharp rise in arrivals this week to a Spanish Supreme Court ruling issued earlier in July. The court ruled that migrants intercepted at sea cannot be immediately sent back under the enclave's "border rejection" system, which has long been used to return people caught attempting to enter. The decision does not cover migrants who cross by land, including those who climb over the border fence.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Ceuta on Friday. He condemned the mass crossing, calling the event "a violation of Spain's territorial integrity". Sanchez blamed human trafficking networks for driving the influx, saying they "deceive so many young people and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths", both at sea and in the city.

The administration launched a program months ago to offer work and residency permits to hundreds of thousands of undocumented residents. Analysts linked this stance to the current border crisis, AFP reported.