Thousands of migrants have crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco, overwhelming border security and prompting local authorities to call for a national emergency and military deployment.
Migrants broke through border fences after surging past police at the city's Tarajal breakwater, Spain's Guardia Civil said. Video footage showed some migrants swimming from the Moroccan side using inflatable inner tubes and other flotation devices, while others rushed through a gate and ran into the city.
A Guardia Civil spokesperson said the migrants were "massively entering from the sea" through the Tarajal breakwater. Spain's public broadcaster TVE reported that between 2,000 and 3,000 people had crossed.
Ceuta's regional leader, Juan Jesús Vivas, of Spain's centre-right People's Party, urged the centre-left government in Madrid to declare a national emergency in a filmed address alongside politicians from different parties.
He also called on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's PSOE-led government to deploy the army and reinforce security forces in Ceuta.
"At the same time, we want to convey to the entire citizenry serenity and calm; this is not the first time that Ceuta finds itself in a critical situation like the current one," he added.
In May 2021, around 10,000 people from Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa entered the Spanish coastal exclave over several days in a similar incident. The city has a population of about 83,500.
Ceuta, together with Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city in North Africa, forms the European Union's only land border with Africa. Both cities periodically experience surges in attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe.
Sánchez said the government was mobilising all necessary resources to provide immediate assistance to Ceuta but did not give specific details.
"We are mobilizing all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normalcy as soon as possible.
"This is the moment to build solutions, with responsibility and cooperation," he said in a statement on X.
Spain's national government recently launched a programme to provide legal status for around 500,000 undocumented migrants, prompting a surge in applications. Right-wing parties criticised the initiative, arguing it would encourage more migrants to travel to Spain.
Morocco's Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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