Migrants Surge from Morocco to Ceuta (Spain) by Tens of Thousands

In 2021, some 6,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta--a Spanish enclave that lies on the continent of Africa. It was a pretty big deal at the time, with the Spanish prime minister vowing to end the migrant "crisis" by "restor[ing] order to the city and its borders."

This week, an estimated 60,000 migrants made the same journey from Morocco into Ceuta. That 60K amounts to roughly 70% of Cueta's pre-event population.

57 migrants died in the surge. According to Reuters, "some drowned and some were crushed while trying to climb the breakwater that holds the border fence."

Spain reports that many of the migrants have already left Ceuta. The country's prime minister traveled to Ceuta today, where he told reporters that the surge was "a violation of Spain's territorial sovereignty."

As the BBC notes above, there is speculation that the surge came as the result of a decision from the Spanish Supreme Court rejecting "hot returns" (devolutions en caliente) of migrants crossing into Ceuta. (This blog post from the European Journal of International Law explains the decision.)