Ceuta mayor calls for migrant detention amid mass influx crisis

What the report says

Ceuta’s leader has called for the detention and removal of thousands of asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in the Spanish North African enclave after a large cross-border arrival from Morocco last month, according to Al Jazeera. Mayor-President Juan Jesus Vivas, of Spain’s conservative Popular Party, said the territory needs a facility where migrants can be held while expulsion cases are processed, arguing that the situation requires urgent action.

The report says migrants reached Ceuta at the end of July by swimming or using inflatable rafts, intensifying debate over the European Union’s external border and straining relations between Spain and other EU members. Spanish authorities later revised their estimate of how many people made the crossing, while the government said many had already been returned to Morocco. Thousands remained in Ceuta, including unaccompanied children who cannot be quickly deported under Spanish law.

Al Jazeera reported that those still in the enclave are facing shortages of food, water, shelter and sanitation. Vivas said the number remaining is much higher than the central government’s estimate, and he described the situation as unsustainable. The article also said police estimated about 5,000 residents protested over the handling of the crisis, while Spain’s minister for regional relations said additional police and civil guard personnel had been sent to help restore order.