The Ceuta border remained a sieve during the early hours of Friday for thousands of people from Morocco . Despite the large presence of Army and Civil Guard personnel at the border crossing on the Spanish side, law enforcement did not intervene at any point , and 49,000 people have entered by sea and land in the last 24 hours. The government, however, stated early in the afternoon that 37,500 have already returned to Morocco.
Some of the immigrants, incredulous, waved and thanked each other as they ran towards the city center and neighborhoods closer to the border, such as El Príncipe.
“I love Morocco!” a young man exclaimed as soon as he realized he was on Spanish soil. “But my country has to change. I love Spain! ” he added in front of several soldiers as he continued on foot toward the warehouses in the Tarajal Industrial Park, the first area of Ceuta bordering Morocco.
In the early hours of the morning, dramatic scenes have been seen there , as some immigrants, not knowing the way to go, have jumped over walls of about fifteen meters that led to a street that could also be reached on foot.
Many of them asked if they were already in Spain or still in their home country. They couldn’t believe that, despite the significant security deployment ordered by the Spanish government, they had been able to enter so easily and without any opposition .
Although thousands continue to enter, a minority are returning along the same coastal stretch they used to enter Ceuta. “That’s it, this has been a deception ,” several of them say at the border gates.
Hundreds upon hundreds of children spent the night on the streets of the Tarajal industrial park, lying on the ground on cardboard, plastic sheeting, or even the asphalt itself. One of them, 13-year-old Mohamed , from Tetouan, asked this reporter when social services were going to give them something to eat or drink.
“My parents don’t know I’m here. I came with a lot of friends,” he said. When asked if he wanted to return to Morocco, he gave a resounding no. “Long live Ceuta, my friend! I want to be Spanish like you. In my country, there’s only hunger .”
In that enormous and countless group of minors were children from cities in the south of the neighboring country, such as Casablanca and Rabat. “We came by bus and shared taxis ,” said Adam, 10 years old.
Chaos in Ceuta
The night was chaotic in Ceuta. Hundreds of people slept in parks, on benches, and at gas stations. Some robberies occurred, according to residents and local press reports, although there is no official confirmation.
Thousands of Moroccans wandered through the city asking to charge their mobile phones, buying food in bars, or trying to exchange their money for euros, as many only had dirhams, Morocco’s official currency, on them. Some displayed bloody wounds and bruises on their feet, arms, and legs .
A young man, barely 20 years old, his clothes still soaked, approaches the journalist and shows him the palm of his right hand. Written in blue pen are the words “Loma Colmenar.” He’s looking for someone in that Ceuta neighborhood. He says he’ll give them shelter. Seconds later, he leaves without saying goodbye, his gaze lost in thought.
From the hillsides near the border, several plumes of smoke could be seen rising into Moroccan territory. In Castillejos, it was a night of unrest . Several vehicles were burned and some coastal military checkpoints were attacked, according to several residents of the Moroccan town interviewed by EL MUNDO.
So far, the Civil Guard has recovered the bodies of 19 migrants who died trying to swim to the autonomous city. At 7:00 a.m. this Friday, a pair of Civil Guard divers were searching for more bodies near the breakwater that divides the two countries, surrounded by a sea of inflatable rafts. They had been abandoned by those who had already reached Ceuta. –elmundo.es
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