An estimated 20,000 migrants entered the North African enclave of Ceuta during a dramatic surge at the border.
Thousands of migrants who entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa could benefit from what police unions say is a new legal loophole created by a recent ruling from Spain’s Supreme Court.
Officials estimated that around 20,000 migrants managed to bypass the long border fence separating Morocco from the Spanish territory on Thursday.
The crowd, largely made up of people from Morocco and Algeria, was reportedly seen swimming out into the sea on the Moroccan side before crossing back into Spanish waters and rushing into Ceuta.
Some migrants were seen celebrating after reaching the enclave, with several reportedly shouting: “Long live Spain!”
Late into the night, footage circulating online appeared to show attempts to enter homes across the city. Local media reported that a Moroccan couple carrying a baby used a ladder to reach a first-floor window, smashed the glass and climbed inside.
The surge began on Thursday afternoon and continued well into the evening, even after Spanish military units were deployed to the enclave from mainland Spain.
Although the crossing point was later closed, hundreds of people were still reportedly gathered on the Moroccan side of the border in the town of Fnideq.
Police unions argued that migrants had been encouraged by a Supreme Court ruling earlier this month, claiming it had created a “pull factor” for those attempting to reach Ceuta and Melilla.
The country’s highest court ruled that migrants intercepted at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be immediately returned under the enclaves’ special border-rejection regime.
Instead, the judgment found that migrants arriving by sea cannot be summarily pushed back without due process, unlike those who cross by land, such as by climbing over the border fence, reprots the Daily Mail.
The Unified Police Union said the latest influx came “after the Supreme Court rejected border rejections, complicating deportations”.
It added: “We demand the Government immediately reinforce the National Police and Civil Guard personnel at the border with Morocco.”
However, not everyone accepted that the court ruling was responsible for the surge.
Omar Naji, president of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights in Eastern Morocco, questioned that explanation, arguing that most Moroccans would have been unaware of the legal decision.
After entering Ceuta, a city of around 84,000 people, groups of migrants moved through the streets as tensions escalated.
Footage also appeared to show local residents confronting migrants, with some waving Spanish flags and shouting as groups ran through the city.
Spain’s Supreme Court ruling has been blamed by police authorities for the migrant crisis (Image: Getty)
Police sirens could be heard in the background of some of the videos.
Other clips circulating online appeared to show people trying to force their way into homes. One showed a man standing on a ladder striking a first-floor window with an object, while another appeared to show dozens of people rushing through a single doorway as the person filming remained on a nearby balcony.
In one video, a man could be heard blowing a whistle, apparently signalling to others that they had found somewhere to shelter. As several people entered the building, more migrants ran towards the open doorway hoping to get inside.
Several businesses in Ceuta reportedly closed earlier than usual following the influx.
The latest surge came after local officials said that, even before Thursday’s mass crossing, more than 1,500 migrants — and possibly as many as 2,000 — had already reached Ceuta by sea in recent days.