Thousands of migrants storm the border with Spain, which is struggling to cope

The Spanish news agency EFE reported on Thursday that thousands of migrants crossed on foot into the city of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, after passing through several border checkpoints. According to local Moroccan media, the city has witnessed a significant increase in illegal migration attempts by swimming from the Moroccan coast since July 20, at a rate of more than 200 people per day during certain periods.

The governor of the Spanish city told local media:

"We are facing a humanitarian and social emergency in the full sense of the word."

In further remarks published on television, the governor said: "More than 1,500 migrants, both adults and minors, have arrived in Ceuta by sea in recent days."

The municipal official warned that if the current rate of arrival continues, it could repeat the crisis scenario of 2021, when the city experienced a wave of thousands of migrants in a short period of time:

"The reception centers are completely full and are unable to accommodate additional people."

For its part, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior announced in a statement that a number of offices are coordinating their activities to respond "with maximum speed and efficiency" to the situation in Ceuta.

Migration from Morocco to the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla has become a sensitive political issue between the two countries in recent years. These developments coincided with a legal and political debate within Spain, following a Supreme Court ruling that it is not possible to carry out the immediate return of minors arriving in Ceuta. This sparked criticism from some Spanish factions who believed that it could encourage an increase in crossing attempts, while political bodies called for amending the immigration law to close this legal loophole.