Up to 60000 Migrants Cross Into Spain's Ceuta Territory
Up to 60000 migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco. Ceuta is a Spanish territory in North Africa.
The crossing happened over just 24 hours. Ceuta normally has only 85000 people living there.
The sudden crowd overwhelmed the small territory. Reports say 34 to 57 people died during the crossing.
Other reports gave lower numbers between 9 and 34 deaths. About 37000 migrants returned to Morocco within a day.
This lowered the number staying in Ceuta. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the event a violation of Spain's territorial integrity.
He also called it an attack on Spain's North African territory. Sánchez said all illegal migrants would be sent back to Morocco.
But Spain's Supreme Court ruled migrants arriving by sea cannot be sent back. This makes Sánchez's plan harder to carry out.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the images from Ceuta unacceptable. Spain sent extra soldiers and staff to strengthen its border security.
Other European Union countries criticized Spain's government over the crisis. The event has created political problems for Spain's pro-immigration government.
Key Terms 4
- Ceuta A small Spanish territory located in North Africa near Morocco.
- European Commission The main leadership group that runs the European Union.
- Supreme Court Spain's highest court that makes final legal rulings.
- pro-immigration government A government that generally supports allowing migrants to enter the country.