Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, said on August 11 that anyone entering the enclave of Ceuta irregularly will be returned to their home country. He spoke after visiting Ceuta, weeks after mass crossings from Morocco.
DR reports that Albares made the statement at a press conference following his visit to the Spanish enclave. He said Spain is working with Moroccan authorities to speed up the return of people who entered irregularly and have not yet been sent back.
According to Albares, his Moroccan counterpart and Moroccan authorities made clear from the start that they were prepared to take those people back immediately. He urged migrants not to risk their lives, their money and their future on an undertaking he described as doomed to fail.
DR reports that more than 70 people are believed to have died attempting to cross the border at the end of July. The Guardian, which covered the press conference, noted that Albares tied the crossings to misinformation about a Spanish court ruling.
The figures for the surge differ by source. DR reports that Spain’s interior minister gave a provisional estimate last week of 72,000 people entering Ceuta, of whom 70,000 had returned to Morocco. Reuters reported on July 31 that Spain’s Interior Ministry put the number at about 50,000 crossings, with roughly 48,300 people returned by 6 p.m. the following day.
BBC reported on August 1 that Spain was sending troops to reinforce Ceuta after thousands of migrants swam in from Morocco. At that point, the broadcaster put the death toll at at least 67.
Court ruling and misinformation
At the press conference, Albares emphasized that misinformation about a recent Supreme Court ruling had spread on social media. The court found that a special instant rejection procedure at the border cannot be applied to migrants who swim across.
Albares said the ruling does not mean anyone has a right to remain in Ceuta. He added that the integrity of the Schengen area is fully guaranteed in Ceuta and Melilla.
Per DR, Spain’s prime minister has previously said smugglers spread a rumor that migrants who swam to Ceuta would not be sent home. A Moroccan ministry has attributed the influx to three factors: social media misinformation, smuggling networks and a mistaken reading of the Spanish ruling.
DR also reports that Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, and TikTok have agreed with the EU to fact-check content about crossing borders after the events in Ceuta. It remains unclear how many migrants were still in the enclave when Albares spoke.
