The Spanish government says the death toll in Ceuta has risen to 67 after some 60,000 migrants stormed the Spanish border.
Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick (Image: Getty)
Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick has warned many of the migrants that stormed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta will head to Britain. The party’s treasury spokesman said the UK could face similar issues if it fails to secure its borders amid a rise this week in migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Some 60,000 migrants from Morocco are estimated to have breached the border into Ceuta, a Spanish city in North Africa, on Thursday. The surge sparked a humanitarian crisis, with Spain’s interior minister confirming the death toll has now risen to 67. The influx, equivalent to 70% of Ceuta’s population, triggered chaos in the city.
Some 60,000 migrants from Morocco are estimated to have breached the border into Ceuta (Image: Getty)
Reports claim authorities will have to move some of those who breached the border across the Strait of Gibraltar to the Spanish mainland.
The Sun reports many are expected to try to head for the UK, adding it has also uncovered examples of illegal migrants using Morocco as a launchpad.
Mr Jenrick told the newspaper: “Ceuta is our future if we don’t secure our border. These men are on their way to Calais.”
Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares on Friday evening said “practically the entirety of those who entered Ceuta have already returned to Morocco”.
Spain deployed its armed forces and additional police to restore order in Ceuta.
The city, which sits on the Strait of Gibraltar at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, has been under Spanish control since 1580.
Some of the migrants swam several miles through the sea to cross into Ceuta.
Authorities tried to turn them back with water cannons, tear gas and warning shots.
Many who made the journey said they were hoping to find better work opportunities but were returning due to the chaos.
Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who visited Ceuta on Friday, described the border breach as “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity”.
He blamed human smugglers for the crisis, saying they “deceive so many young people and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths”.
Authorities in Ceuta and Madrid linked the incident to a recent decision by the Spanish Supreme Court, which ruled that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported, unlike those who cross by land or climb the border fence.
However, Mr Sánchez said migrant smugglers misinterpreted the ruling.
According to The Telegraph, Western intelligence sources suspect Morocco facilitated the surge of migrants into Ceuta.
It is claimed the incident could have acted as a punishment amid diplomatic frustrations with Spain.
Morocco’s ambassador to Spain said the situation in Ceuta had unfolded against Morocco’s wishes.