Spain returns over 5300 migrants to Morocco after Ceuta mass crossing

More than 5,300 migrants have returned to Morocco since August 10, while around 100 others have withdrawn asylum applications filed in Spain following the mass entry of some 80,000 people into Ceuta on July 30 and 31, the Spanish government announced on Sunday.

Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said Spanish authorities had created 4,500 accommodation places for migrants in recent weeks. He stressed that the objective was to restore normality in Ceuta by moving migrants off the streets and into designated facilities before returning those who do not qualify for international protection to Morocco.

Torres said authorities had already reviewed a number of migrants’ cases in preparation for their return, explaining that the process requires identity checks and compliance with legal procedures. He added that returns were expected to accelerate once migrants had been transferred to reception facilities.

Against this backdrop, 864 migrants who had been sleeping rough in the Loma Colmenar area were moved on Sunday morning to a temporary reception center in the Los Rosales neighborhood.

The Ceuta government, meanwhile, estimated that around 13,000 migrants, including adults and minors, remained in the city. Alejandro Ramírez, deputy head of the local government, warned that Ceuta was still far from returning to normal 46 days after the mass crossings.