Monday 17, 2021 will always be remembered in the history of illegal immigration. About 6,000 migrants including most Morrocons irregularly entered the Spanish territory of Ceuta. This is being considered the biggest ever channel crossing in a single day. The next day was not too different where 2,000 more reached the same destination making it to a total of 8,000 including 1,500 minors.
Are Ceuta and Melilla Spanish teroteries? Yes, these are called areas of Spain – since the seventeenth Century, Ceuta and Melilla have been under Spanish standard, however, these are also claimed by Morocco as its land. They have semi-self-sufficient status, similar to certain areas of terrain Spain. The Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla are the European Union’s just land borders with Africa, making them a well-known section focuses for travelers expecting to arrive in Europe. Transients attempt to arrive at the territories either by swimming along the coast or climbing the tall boundary fences that different them from Morocco.
How come is it possible that such a large number of immigrants can reach in a couple of days all of a sudden? Unfortunately, it is true as the Spanish officials have also confirmed it. They have also confirmed that half of the people have already been sent back to Morocco. The migrants that include monitors, males, and females either swam around the border fences that jut out into the sea or walked across at low tide.
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez has also urged to ease the situation and has also deployed security forces to tackle the situation. He himself visited the area too on Tuesday.
Ceuta witnessed some dramatic scenes of mass smuggling where families waded through the water and officers from Spain’s Guardia Civil went into the sea to rescue young children. Spain’s Guardia Civil posted pictures of a baby and toddlers being rescued from the sea off Ceuta.
The security forces from Morroco and Spain are always on duty on these enclaves but due to some political tensions, Morroco is no more cooperating properly with Spain to tackle the illegal entry of migrants. Relations between the two countries became strained at the end of April, when Spain allowed Brahim Ghali, the leader of the Western Sahara independence movement Polisario Front, to seek medical treatment there.
According to Spain’s officials, all migrants have been detained whereas almost half of them have been sent back too but not the minors.
-Files from infomigrant.net, Umer Rasib, visa-guru.com, AP News Agency, and BBC News.