Authorities continue search operations after at least 72 deaths, while debate over migration and border security intensifies
Ceuta, Spain: The Spanish enclave of Ceuta was returning to a sense of normality on Sunday after a massive migrant influx earlier this week, but residents and authorities continued to grapple with the consequences of one of the largest border surges in recent memory.
Most of the 50,000 to 60,000 migrants who entered the territory over recent days had returned to Morocco by the weekend, while others remained in Ceuta or attempted to blend into the local population.
Spanish Civil Guard vessels continued searching coastal waters for victims, following a humanitarian crisis that left at least 72 migrants dead, according to Spanish authorities. The fatalities included people who drowned and others who died in a stampede near a breakwater barrier.
Shops and businesses reopened across the city of about 84,000 residents, with tourists and locals once again filling restaurants, cafés and public spaces.
However, the events have sparked a heated debate over migration, border management and political responsibility.
Mohamad Abdelkader Driss, a restaurant worker in Ceuta, said responsibility for the crisis should not be placed on the migrants themselves.
“If you open the border, of course everyone comes in, but the young men aren’t to blame. The authorities are responsible,” he said.
Several migrants who returned to Morocco described a border that was effectively open, claiming authorities made little effort to stop thousands of people crossing into the Spanish territory.
The sudden arrivals increased Ceuta’s population by more than half within days, creating significant logistical and humanitarian challenges.
