CEUTA, Spain (AP) 鈥� Spain on Saturday installed a 500-meter-long (1,600-foot) barrier on the sea border between its North African territory of Ceuta and neighboring Morocco after breached the frontier earlier in the week.
At least 67 died, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede to , the Spanish government said Saturday. The sudden arrival of 50,000 to 60,000 migrants in the territory between Thursday and Friday sparked a humanitarian crisis and reignited the immigration debate in Europe and beyond, though most of the migrants soon went back.
Critics of Spain鈥檚 socialist government, notably right and far-right politicians, seized upon the dramatic images of crowds storming into Ceuta, which sits on the at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea and has been a Spanish possession since 1580. has focused on granting legal status to workers lacking authorization to boost its economy, in contrast with anti-migration and pro-deportation policies being promoted across much of the EU and in the U.S.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S谩nchez slammed the reaction of some EU leaders to , saying calls for Spain to be suspended from the EU’s borderless Schengen zone were 鈥渄riven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest.鈥� Despite the Ceuta crisis, Spain in recent years has had fewer illegal migrants than Mediterranean neighbors Italy and Greece.
On Saturday morning, a handful of migrants who swam to Ceuta’s urban Tarajal beach were met by soldiers who escorted them across the border.
鈥淲e are relentless against those who break the law,鈥� Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told journalists.
Asked how the breach could have happened given the heavy security on both sides of the border and whether Morocco posed a threat to Ceuta, Marlaska defended the government in Rabat.
鈥淭he events require an evaluation by Spain and Morocco,鈥� he said. But it was the cooperation with its neighbors that allowed Spain 鈥渢o revert the situation in 24 hours.鈥�
鈥淢orocco is not a threat to Ceuta, or to the rest of Spain. It is a reliable partner,鈥� Marlaska emphasized.
EU leaders call for coordinated response
Other European Union countries called for urgent talks and a coordinated response to the situation in Ceuta.
鈥淲e cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalization of migration or other hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible. That a migrant鈥檚 illegal entry can turn into legal stay,鈥� a letter to top EU officials, released Saturday by the Danish prime minister鈥檚 office, said. 鈥淪uch a perception would encourage further attempts, undermine confidence in our common migration policy and have repercussions for all Member States.鈥�
Leaders of Italy, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Sweden signed the letter asking the EU鈥檚 current Irish presidency to convene a videoconference of interior ministers.
S谩nchez also asked for a videoconference of EU interior ministers to 鈥渆nable us to establish a common response to situations of this kind and reaffirm that the security of our external borders is a shared responsibility of all Member States, and not only of those on the Union鈥檚 front line.鈥�
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has threatened to suspend Italy鈥檚 open-border Schengen agreement with Spain, and Italy was reimposing border controls for people arriving from Spain by air and sea.
鈥淚n the current international context, the European Union cannot afford this kind of selfish, polarizing and unlawful reaction,鈥� S谩nchez wrote in his letter.
Migrants head back into Morocco
Hundreds of migrants continued to make their way back to Morocco on Saturday. Hungry and angry, some barefoot or shirtless and others nursing visible injuries, they said they were leaving Ceuta after what they described as degrading treatment on the Spanish side of the border.
Migrants walked along a long stretch of wave breakers before slipping into Morocco through a small breach in the border fence. Most of the migrants were Moroccans, while a smaller number were from sub-Saharan Africa.
鈥淚 decided to come back on my own,鈥� said Ouail Lamzeiz. 鈥淚 spent eight days in Ceuta, and I was about to get a bed at the migrant center, but I hadn鈥檛 eaten for days. Even the Moroccans there didn鈥檛 help,鈥� he added, showing a document supporting his account.
Migrants said they spent their nights sleeping in the forests around Ceuta because they could not find shelter, and that they often fought over food.
Othmane El Merzoug asked passersby for a phone call so he could reach his family and ask them to send money for the journey back to his hometown, about 189 miles (305 kilometers) from the border.
Life along the border was disrupted
Along Ceuta鈥檚 Tarajal beach, sunbathers largely ignored the streams of migrants walking toward the border.
Ceuta resident Mohamed Abdelatif, 21, said the border rush had ruptured the city’s peace.
鈥淭he reality is, it鈥檚 not good,鈥� Abdelatif said, before wading into the water with his girlfriend.
To reach Ceuta, on the northern African coast, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about 3 miles (5 kilometers) to reach Spanish territory. In response to the influx, Spain deployed its armed forces and additional police in Ceuta. On the Moroccan side, security forces clashed with migrants. Authorities used water cannons, tear gas and warning shots to try to turn back migrants.
On Saturday, the road linking Fnideq to the border crossing bore the scars of the unrest. Burned-out vehicles sat along the roadside, while the acrid smell of smoke still hung in the air. Water cannons remained stationed nearby.
鈥淟ife in this city has been disrupted as a result of the border incident,鈥� said Ceuta President Juan Jes煤s Vivas. 鈥淭he return of people has begun satisfactorily, but the process must be completed.鈥�
Some migrants remain determined to stay
But some who made it to Ceuta say they do not intend to go back. Among them was Mohamed Hatri, a 23-year-old Moroccan.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e closed everything down so that we can鈥檛 buy anything to eat, to force us to return to our country,鈥� he said, adding that he and others were determined to stay 鈥渨hether we鈥檙e hungry or not.” 鈥斺�� Oubachir reported from Fnideq, Morocco. Renata Brito in Barcelona, Spain and Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece contributed to this report.
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