Over 70,000 predominantly Muslim migrants stormed into Ceuta, Spain, and overwhelmed authorities on July 31.
Spanish authorities will begin holding migrants in warehouses while they await deportation from Ceuta, as the city grapples with allegations that several young migrant girls have been sexually assaulted following last month’s massive influx from Morocco.
The Spanish government plans to use a warehouse in Tarajal—just yards from the Moroccan border—together with another facility elsewhere in the enclave—to temporarily hold migrants while they are identified and processed. Officials hope to return migrants to Morocco within 72 hours of locating them.
This measure follows an extraordinary influx last month in which an estimated 70,000 people entered Ceuta over approximately 48 hours, overwhelming the small Spanish territory on the North African coast.
Authorities have established additional protected accommodations for women and girls. More than 110 girls and teenagers are being housed in a school converted into a female-only shelter, while a local football field serves as a nighttime refuge where women can sleep more safely.
The situation has also complicated deportation efforts due to asylum claims. Spain’s foreign minister has vowed to send “every last person” back to Morocco, but migrants seeking international protection are entitled to have their asylum claims considered under Spanish and European Union law. Additionally, authorities must assess 1,342 unaccompanied minors before any return to Morocco.
The Ceuta Prosecutor’s Office reported awareness of two alleged sexual assaults and has opened preliminary proceedings, though no arrests had been made at the time of reporting. Judicial sources described “many cases” of attempted sexual assault, with several incidents stopped through the intervention of local residents.
Local health services reported that at least five girls under the age of 14 have allegedly been raped since arriving in Ceuta. The alleged victims sought treatment at the University Hospital of Ceuta over the past week.
The influx prompted Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas to declare a “humanitarian emergency,” with reports estimating as many as 100 people died during the mass crossing.
Journalists Alexa Lavoie and Efrain Monsanto documented conditions in the overwhelmed enclave, spoke with residents, and later covered protests demanding “remigration” and tougher action from Spanish authorities.
