Spain has begun deporting African and Asian migrants whose asylum applications were rejected following mass border crossings into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, marking a significant step in efforts to regain control of its southern frontier.
More than a dozen migrants have been returned to Morocco after Spanish authorities rejected their asylum claims. The deportations are the first of their kind since July, when approximately 80,000 people crossed into Ceuta from Moroccan territory over a 48-hour period.
Spain’s Interior Ministry confirmed that Morocco had agreed to accept the deportees, who remain on Moroccan territory.
The removals come as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government faces growing pressure to address the border crisis ahead of Spain’s November 29 elections.
Although most of those who entered Ceuta during July’s mass crossing subsequently returned to Morocco, thousands remain in Spanish territory, placing considerable pressure on reception facilities and immigration authorities.
Spanish officials are currently accommodating approximately 8,000 migrants in reception centres while processing asylum applications submitted by most of those who remain.
The government says more than 13,000 migrants have returned to Morocco since mid-August, as Madrid seeks to reduce the number of arrivals remaining in the enclave.
Spain’s Interior Ministry defended the latest deportations, stating that Morocco is considered a safe country by the European Union and that removal procedures are conducted with the required safeguards.
The latest expulsions represent a further test of Madrid’s willingness to enforce immigration decisions as public frustration grows over the government’s handling of irregular migration.
Ceuta and Melilla, Spain’s two enclaves on the North African coast, represent the European Union’s only land borders with Africa and have become major flashpoints in Europe’s efforts to control unauthorized migration.
With the election approaching, Sanchez faces mounting demands to strengthen border enforcement, accelerate decisions on rejected asylum applications and prevent another large-scale crossing.
