Spain Leader Visits Ceuta After 60000 Migrants Arrive
About 60,000 migrants reached Ceuta this week. Ceuta is a Spanish territory in North Africa.
The surge pushed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to visit the area. Sánchez visited the Tarajal border crossing.
He spoke with local leaders, border staff and police. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska went with him.
Sánchez blamed trafficking gangs for misleading migrants about a recent court ruling. That ruling was about migrants arriving in Spain by sea.
He called the mass arrival a violation of Spain's territorial integrity. Sánchez's government has supported pro-immigration policies in the past. This makes the crisis a major challenge for his leadership.
Klear Note — Ceuta is a Spanish city surrounded by Morocco in North Africa. It regularly sees large migrant arrivals from Africa seeking entry to Europe.
Key Terms 3
- Ceuta A Spanish territory located on the north coast of Africa.
- territorial integrity A country's right to control its own borders and land.
- Interior Minister Government official in charge of police and internal security.