Hundreds of Migrants Arrested Near Ceuta Border Amid Heightened Security Measures

Moroccan security forces have arrested hundreds of migrants attempting to reach the Spanish exclave of Ceuta by land and sea as authorities tighten security along the border following calls for a new mass crossing.

Moroccan state broadcaster Medi 1 TV reported that 294 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were arrested on Saturday while trying to enter Ceuta. Authorities also detained 61 Moroccans accused of facilitating the migration attempts.

The latest security crackdown comes two weeks after more than 72,000 would-be migrants rushed toward Ceuta in one of the deadliest migration crises to hit the region. Official numbers indicate at least 90 people died on both sides of the border, while human rights groups have reported higher figures. The attempted crossings followed a surge in social media posts encouraging people to make their way to Ceuta, a Spanish city on Morocco’s northern coast. In response, Moroccan and Spanish authorities have significantly increased their security presence in the area.

On Sunday, hundreds of migrants staged a protest on a popular urban beach, urging Spanish authorities to grant them asylum instead of sending them back to Morocco. They are among an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 people who remained in Ceuta following the mass border crossing two weeks ago. With city resources overstretched, most migrants are living in precarious conditions on Trampolin beach or the city's outskirts while awaiting an opportunity to travel to continental Europe.

“We’re sleeping next to the sea, with cold and bad smells. We’re suffering a lot,” Ayoub Elarroud from Morocco’s Tetouan told the Reuters news agency, noting that police were preventing them from entering the city centre. Protesters displayed Spanish flags and banners bearing messages such as “We don’t want to go back to Morocco” and “We are also human,” alongside chants of “We’re tired” and “We need a solution.”

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated earlier this week that migrants who entered irregularly will not be permitted to stay in the exclave, travel to mainland Spain, or obtain legal status, except in exceptional cases of extreme vulnerability. A senior Moroccan diplomat previously informed The Associated Press news agency that over 20,000 Moroccan security personnel are deployed along the border with Ceuta daily, costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Thousands of migrants from across Africa and beyond travel to Morocco annually, fleeing conflict, poverty, and instability in search of a route into Europe. Many attempt to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish exclave on Morocco’s northern coast, hoping to eventually reach mainland Spain for better economic prospects.