Spanish Exclave of Ceuta Struggles to Recover

CEUTA, Spain — The tiny Spanish exclave of Ceuta is slowly returning to normal after a massive migrant surge left the city on edge. However, the events of the week are still fresh in everyone’s minds. Over 60,000 migrants swam, scrambled, and charged into the city in North Africa, causing a humanitarian crisis that has reignited a debate around immigration in Europe and beyond.

The city of 84,000 residents is home to four cultures: Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Hindus, who normally live in relative harmony. However, the recent events have sparked a heated debate about the city’s immigration policies and the responsibility of its authorities. At least 72 migrants died during the surge, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier, Spanish authorities said.

Locals are still trying to make sense of the events that unfolded, with many disagreeing on what caused the surge and who is to blame. Some argue that the authorities are responsible for not doing enough to prevent the influx of migrants, while others believe that the border was effectively open and that the authorities did little to stop the migrants. ‘If you open the border, of course everyone comes in, but the young men aren’t to blame. The authorities are responsible,’ said Mohamad Abdelkader Driss, a 44-year-old waiter at a fried fish restaurant in town.

Some migrants who returned to Morocco described a border that was effectively open and said authorities did little as they watched thousands of people cross. ‘It could have been much worse,’ Driss said, lamenting what happened. The unauthorized arrivals on Thursday and Friday swelled Ceuta’s population by more than half, causing a massive strain on the city’s resources and infrastructure.

Far-right, anti-immigrant Spanish politicians and well-known right-wing influencers descended on the city over the weekend, sparking counterprotests that included members of the Spanish city’s large Muslim population, many of whom are of Moroccan descent. Alvise Pérez, a far-right Spanish politician and member of the European Parliament, called on Saturday evening for migrants to be expelled as he faced an angry crowd of rival protesters. Pérez eventually had to shelter in a bar as residents banged on the windows, until police escorted him away.

The counterprotests were led by 20-year-old Ceuta resident and student Noor Ahmed, who denounced the protest and presence of figures like Pérez in her city as opportunistic. ‘They just want to take advantage of the humanitarian crisis Ceuta is currently experiencing,’ Ahmed said. Santiago Abascal, the leader of the far-right Vox party, visited Ceuta on Sunday, slamming the Spanish government for the surge in migrant arrivals, which he called ‘an invasion.’

Some locals, even acknowledging Ceuta’s population of Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Hindus that normally live in relative harmony, worried about what the week revealed about the city. Eva Barrientos, a resident of Ceuta who works at a logistics company, came to the protest on Saturday evening to see what Pérez and the other right-wing figures had to say. She was confident that something similar would happen again and questioned the loyalty that some of Ceuta’s foreign-born residents had to Spain.

Barrientos accused some foreign-born residents of having more loyalty to Morocco than the country in which they lived. ‘In Ceuta, we have always lived together. We have four cultures living very well, without any problems,’ she said. ‘But the only thing we are realizing now is that there is an enemy within.’

The humanitarian crisis caused by the sudden rush of people has sparked a debate around immigration in Europe and beyond. Pope Leo XIV, in a statement on Sunday, said he was ‘following with concern the alarming situation in Ceuta, asking God… that solutions of peace, stability, and justice may be found.’

Migration has been one of Pope Leo’s priorities, which he underlined during a recent visit to the Canary Islands in Spain, one of Europe’s main migrant entry ports. The unauthorized arrivals on Thursday and Friday have reignited a debate around immigration in Europe and beyond, with many calling for a more comprehensive and humane approach to addressing the issue.