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At least 72 migrants are dead after a chaotic rush to storm the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, turning one of Europe’s latest border crises into a humanitarian disaster that is reigniting debate over immigration across the continent.
Spanish authorities continued searching the waters off Ceuta over the weekend for additional victims after an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 migrants — most of them young men — poured into the tiny Spanish territory in North Africa. Officials said many of the victims drowned while attempting the crossing, while others were killed in a stampede near a breakwater barrier.
The mass crossing unfolded over several days, temporarily increasing Ceuta’s population of roughly 84,000 by more than half. By Sunday, many migrants had returned to neighboring Morocco, while others remained in the city or tried to avoid authorities.
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The deaths have intensified the political fight over immigration in Spain and across Europe. Far-right leaders called for tighter border security and the removal of migrants who remained in the enclave.
Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s nationalist Vox party, visited Ceuta on Sunday and blasted the country’s government, calling the migrant influx “an invasion” and accusing officials of failing to protect Spain’s borders.
Tensions were also on display Saturday when European Parliament member Alvise Pérez faced angry counterprotesters during a rally in Ceuta. Pérez eventually took shelter inside a nearby bar before police escorted him away.
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Many local residents expressed sorrow over the loss of life, even as the political debate intensified.
“It pains me deeply that young people are dying at sea. It’s not right that, in the year 2026, women with children as young as two months old should be crossing the sea only to die,” Karima Abenaz, a French national in Ceuta with family in Morocco, told Reuters.
“In Morocco, there’s food, there’s everything we need,” she said. “If we don’t have a decent job, we should go on strike and demand our rights from the government. We shouldn’t be dying at sea. It’s not right.”
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Other local residents said the migrants themselves should not be blamed.
Mohamad Abdelkader Driss, a waiter in Ceuta, told The Associated Press that responsibility lies with the authorities.
“If you open the border, of course everyone comes in, but the young men aren’t to blame. The authorities are responsible,” he said.
Others said the events had tested Ceuta’s reputation as a city where Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu communities have long lived side by side. Some also voiced concerns about security and questioned whether another mass crossing could happen again.
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The U.S. State Department on Saturday raised its Travel Advisory for Ceuta to Level 3: Reconsider Travel in response to the surge, warning that the “massive and uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta may lead to unpredictable and dangerous security situations.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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