Full story
Ceuta border rush
Spain installed a 500-meter-long (1,600-foot) barrier on the sea border between its North African territory of Ceuta and neighboring Morocco after tens of thousands of migrants breached the frontier earlier in the week.
“Spain on Saturday installed a 500-meter-long (1,600-foot) barrier”
The Spanish government said at least 67 migrants died, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier, after an arrival of 50,000 to 60,000 migrants in the territory on Thursday and Friday.
BBC reported that about 60,000 migrants entered Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on 30 July, with many swimming and using inflatables, while others ran through a gate in the border fence.
On Saturday, police could be seen installing a 500m (1,640ft) floating barrier as groups of migrants were escorted back to the border, and Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the death toll had risen to at least 67.
EU pressure and quotes
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez criticised the reaction of some other European Union leaders, saying calls for Spain to be suspended from the EU’s borderless Schengen zone were “driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest”.
NPR said Ceuta’s President Juan Jesus Vivas described the disruption, telling reporters, “Life in this city has been disrupted as a result of the border incident,” while adding that “The city has not yet returned to normal.”
Al Jazeera reported that Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares, wrote on X that “Virtually all those who entered Ceuta have now returned to Morocco,” as European nations planned a meeting to coordinate their response.
The BBC also reported that Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Saturday that almost all those who reached the enclave have returned, while police installed the floating barrier as migrants were escorted back to the border.
What happens next
Spain announced it was installing a 500-meter-long containment barrier along the breakwater fence into the sea after some 60,000 migrants breached the tiny Spanish territory’s frontier between Thursday and Friday, and it said the majority of those who entered had already returned to Morocco.
“security for residents of the autonomous city of 84,000 remained bruised”
NPR said residents of Ceuta woke up to an uneasy calm but that security for residents of the autonomous city of 84,000 remained bruised, and it quoted Vivas saying the return “must be completed.”
Al Jazeera said the EU would hold a video meeting on Tuesday after 22 bloc members issued a joint open letter calling for a meeting of interior ministers “as a matter of urgency” to agree a speedy coordinated response and “prevent further uncontrolled crossings”.
In a separate development, the BBC reported that Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the increase in migrants “an attack” and “a violation of Spain's territorial integrity,” and said he was expected to visit the city Friday.
