Hundreds of migrants who recently arrived in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta held a demonstration on a popular urban beach on Sunday, calling on Spanish authorities to provide them with asylum instead of repatriating them to Morocco. These individuals were part of the 5,000 to 8,000 migrants still present in Ceuta following the mass border crossing that occurred two weeks ago, where over 72,000 people flooded into the small territory inhabited by approximately 80,000 residents. The majority of the migrants returned voluntarily in the days that followed.
Facing overstretched resources in the city, most migrants were residing in precarious conditions on El Trampolin beach or in the outskirts of the city while hoping for an opportunity to continue their journey to continental Europe. Ayoub Elarroud from Tetouan, Morocco, expressed the difficulties they were enduring, stating, “We’re sleeping next to the sea, experiencing cold and unpleasant odors. We’re enduring a lot,” mentioning that authorities were preventing migrants from accessing the city center.
During the protest, demonstrators displayed Spanish flags and banners with messages such as “We don’t want to go back to Morocco” and “We are also human,” while voicing chants like “We’re tired” and “We need a solution.” Some migrants were seen washing clothes and fishing along the rocky shores behind them.
In response to the situation, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated earlier in the week that irregularly arriving migrants would not be permitted to remain in the enclave, travel to mainland Spain, or obtain legal status unless under extraordinary circumstances involving severe vulnerability.
Health services in Ceuta were reported to be under strain, with the head of the city’s medical board, Enrique Roviralta, expressing concerns about the exhausted healthcare workers and the slow response from the central government. He highlighted the emergence of diseases like infectious diarrhea and scabies, along with an increase in violence-related injuries such as broken noses and stab wounds.
Health Minister Monica Garcia denied claims that local health services had “collapsed” but acknowledged the pressure they were under. She refuted associating migration with illness as unjust and xenophobic, noting a moderate risk of epidemic outbreaks among migrants and a low risk among residents.
Many Moroccan migrants interviewed by Reuters cited poor working conditions in their country as the driving force behind their migration, despite holding higher qualifications. Individuals like Mohammed Ouanzar and Emmanuel shared their struggles and aspirations for a better life in Europe, emphasizing the challenges they faced in their home countries.
These migrants, coming from various regions like Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Senegal, highlighted their arduous journeys and reasons for seeking asylum in Ceuta, including escaping political unrest, economic hardships, and persecution based on sexual orientation. They expressed their hopes for a brighter future and the challenges they encountered while waiting for decisions on their asylum requests.
