Spain deploys military to Morocco border after migrant crossings, 24 deaths

Core Impact Points

• Spain's government sends the Armed Forces to Ceuta to maintain security and restore order at the border with Morocco.
• The surge in migrants is attributed to a Spanish Supreme Court decision that migrants arriving by sea cannot be immediately pushed back without due process.
• Ceuta authorities had asked the central government to declare a national emergency due to the spike in migration, but the government declined, citing legislation that does not consider migration flows as a risk to national security.
• The situation recalls the border crisis of May 2021, when over 8,000 migrants poured into Ceuta in just two days, and Morocco was accused of easing border controls.
• The migrant reception centers in Ceuta are overwhelmed, with hundreds of people sleeping on the streets after more than 1,500 migrants entered the territory in the past week.
• Spain's Interior Ministry is coordinating with Moroccan authorities to handle the situation and return the migrants to Morocco as soon as possible.