Spain to send army to Ceuta after thousands of migrants arrive by sea
- Thousands of migrants, predominantly from Morocco, have crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, overwhelming local forces.
- Many migrants swam across from the Moroccan side or scaled border fences to the autonomous Spanish city, based on the north African coast. State television have reported 2,000 to 3,000 crossings.
- Juan Jesús Vivas, the head of Ceuta’s regional government, requested the deployment of the army and a declaration of a national emergency due to the influx.
- Spain’s Interior Ministry is sending 60 armed forces personnel to reinforce police but stated that migration flows do not constitute grounds for a national emergency declaration.
- The incident echoes a similar mass crossing in 2021 and occurs after a Supreme Court ruling on the summary return of migrants.
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