Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta is facing a humanitarian and security emergency after about 1,500 migrants reached the territory by swimming across from Morocco within the past week.

The territory’s leader, Juan Jesus Vivas, said on Thursday that Ceuta and Melilla, Spain’s autonomous cities in North Africa, constitute the European Union’s only land border with Africa.

Both enclaves have frequently experienced waves of attempted crossings by migrants seeking entry into Europe, placing recurring pressure on local authorities and border management systems.

Speaking in separate interviews with radio stations Cadena SER and Onda Cero, Vivas said the latest influx had overwhelmed Ceuta’s reception facilities and support services.

He said that hundreds of migrants were currently sleeping outdoors because existing accommodation centres lacked sufficient capacity to absorb the growing number of arrivals.

“We are facing a situation of absolute humanitarian and social emergency,” Vivas told Cadena SER, adding that facilities for unaccompanied minors were operating at 2,400 per cent of capacity.

In a separate interview with Onda Cero, Vivas described the situation as a national emergency and called for a “decisive, forceful, immediate and coordinated” response under a unified command structure.

Spain’s Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, is expected to visit Ceuta on Friday to meet local authorities and security officials over the situation.

The Spanish government said it was coordinating efforts across multiple ministries to strengthen border controls and provide humanitarian assistance to migrants arriving in the enclave.

According to Vivas, migrant arrivals were averaging about 300 people daily, a trend that could significantly increase pressure on local infrastructure and public services.

He warned that if the current pace continued, Ceuta could face conditions similar to the May 2021 migration crisis when approximately 10,000 migrants entered the territory within days.

Vivas also highlighted the human cost of irregular migration, noting that about 60 bodies had been recovered at sea in recent months during attempted crossings.

He argued that stronger migration controls and coordinated border management measures were necessary to prevent further loss of life among migrants attempting the dangerous journey.

Spain’s Interior Ministry said Moroccan security forces were assisting efforts to curb migrant departures from Moroccan territory and reduce the number of crossings into Ceuta.

Vivas further called for reforms to Spain’s immigration framework, saying recent legal developments had exposed shortcomings requiring urgent attention from national authorities.

The appeal follows a recent ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court, which held that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned.

According to the ruling, such migrants are not covered by the special border-rejection regime that applies within the two Spanish enclaves located in North Africa.

(Reuters/NAN)