Thousands of migrants streamed into the small Spanish region of Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday, prompting local officials to call on Spain to declare a national emergency and send the army to retake the border.
The Spanish Interior Ministry said it would ensure the safety of citizens and the integrity of the country’s borders, but the government could not declare a national emergency due to immigration concerns.
“The situation is complete chaos,” said Rachid Subaihi, president of the association that represents Spanish Civil Guard officers in Ceuta, who guard the border. He added: “It is not possible to give accurate numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing the border,” adding that the border “completely collapsed.”
Ashraf Mimouni, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in northern Morocco, described the situation as “exceptional.”
“The Tarajal border was opened under unusual circumstances this morning and people crossed,” he said.
Video footage showed crowds of people, most of them Moroccans, wandering around the breakwaters at Trajal Beach on local roads. While the majority appeared to be young men, there were also families with women and children.
