Divorce: Spanish authorities have separated children from adults in their reception centers. The adults will likely be considered illegal immigrants, and they will be returned.
Pictures of tired, snowy and shivering migrants at the water’s edge show desperate scenes in the Spanish enclave in North Africa. Thousands of Moroccans swam for life, hoping for a fresh start on the European side.
After reports of more and more migrants pouring in to the Spanish border crossing in Ceuta, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was forced to cancel all agreements and jump on board the first plane to deal with the situation.
In just 48 hours he has 8,000 Immigrants from Morocco immigrated to Spain. During the entire last year, for comparison, 2,228 immigrants came in the same way.
Of the 2,700 migrants who arrived on Monday and Tuesday, the Spanish authorities will now send them back to their homeland.
However, Sanchez made it clear that they would deport all migrants who crossed the border illegally. The fate of many minors who crossed the border remains uncertain.
– The first time we see a lot
Sagrio Segado is an immigration researcher and professor at the National University of Distance Education in Madrid. She told VG that she was surprised and worried about the situation:
– 80 thousand people live in Ceuta, and within 24 hours the population increased by 10%. You just can’t be prepared for something like this.
My colleagues and I are amazed and anxious, says Segado.
She is particularly well aware of the challenges of immigration in Spanish territory specifically in North Africa, which are also called “exclaves”. Among other things, Segado heads a European Research Center in the desolate of Melilla, where it searches for minor immigrants.
Also in Melilla, they crossed the border this week much more often than usual.
Watch the photo galleries that show the thousands of migrants arriving in Ceuta:
Thanks a lot: Thousands of immigrants came to swim across the border to the Spanish enclave.
Ceuta and Melilla have long been used as staging points from Africa to Europe in search of a better life. Every year, hundreds of people risk their lives as they try to overcome the barriers that shape borders.
But this time, it came much more than what Segado had seen before.
This is the first time we’ve seen so many people coming at the same time. Segado says more than 1,400 of them are minors.
At the border, adults and children are separated by Spanish authorities. The researcher believes that it is not a coincidence that so many minors came.
– Many minors are sent across the border because it’s almost like sending children to school. The professor explained that the Spanish authorities are obligated to receive education and ensure that it is received, and Moroccan authorities often refuse the return of minors to the country.
Concern: Immigration researcher and Professor Sagario Segado at the National University of Madrid is concerned about the situation in the Spanish ghetto. A young man drowned trying to cross the border, and dozens of people were sent to hospitals as his body temperature dropped. Photo: Private
Ill political aura creates conflict
Segado cites political turmoil as the cause of the sudden influx of refugees towards Ceuda.
Tensions between Spain and Morocco escalated, especially after Spain decided to provide medical assistance to Corona patients, the political leader of the Polisario Front, Ibrahim Ghali.
He has long fought for independence in a part of Western Sahara, which Morocco annexed in 1975.
Spanish authorities in Ceuta accused Morocco of deliberately halting migrant control in response, the Spanish newspaper wrote Country. Segado also suspects that the accident was a triggering cause for Moroccan authorities to release far more than usual migrants across the border into Europe:
This is not the first time that the Moroccan police have loosened their border controls. The professor says this happened especially during periods of disagreement between states.
Summoned: The Spanish Army was called up on Tuesday. Here they are trying to regain control of the situation after thousands of refugees arrived in Ceuta on Monday and Tuesday.
Segado notes that borders separate two countries with big differences, and it is perhaps the border in the world that has the biggest difference in income. This means that many migrants have nothing to lose in trying to escape.
– Many in the area near the border are so poor that they are willing to cross it just to see if there is anything on the other side, although they may have to go back, she says.
Although orders have been issued to return to many, many have chosen to return home voluntarily, according to Reuters.
The European Union asks Morocco to stop immigrants
On Tuesday, Spain sent a large police force to Ceuta to deal with the migrant crisis.
Among other things, Prime Minister Sanchez had to cancel his trip to Paris to come to Ceuta and deal with the crisis. NTB wrote that he requested to restore the system as soon as possible.
On Tuesday, the European Union also asked Morocco to take measures to prevent what the bloc calls “irregular crossings”.
The most important thing now is that Morocco continues to prevent irregular transit, and those who do not have the right to stay are being returned in an organized and effective manner, says European Union Interior Commissioner Elva Johansson.
She adds that the Spanish border is a European border.
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