Denver – Ceuta’s asylum offices are reportedly being overwhelmed by the number of Moroccan asylum seekers that have rushed to the Spanish enclave, reports local media.
The Ceuta-based newspaper El Faro de Ceuta reported that asylum offices in the city had “collapsed” on Monday, and the sheer number of people in line had “blocked all access to the border space.” The group of asylum-seeking migrants is primarily composed of Moroccan citizens who had set asylum appointments with the office.
The crowd is currently awaiting its fate outside the office located near Tarajal, on Ceuta’s southern side. There were reportedly both individual men and entire families present at the office.
According to El Faro, the “vast majority are admitted for processing” and a chance at being granted for Spanish asylum. This has led to a substantial increase in cases this year, as migrants hope to gain residence in Ceuta and the rest of Spain.
Data released by Spanish authorities indicate that Asylum requests this year have already surpassed numbers for the same time last year. In just one month this year, Moroccan migrants submitted over 300 asylum requests to Ceuta authorities. However, as Spain considers Morocco a safe country, it is often a challenge for Moroccans to justify their need for asylum to Spanish authorities.
Reports also indicate that a large number of the asylum seekers are Moroccans currently residing in the country who “do not want to return voluntarily” to Morocco. Ceuta is no stranger to a large Moroccan population, as a considerable number of Moroccans often cross the border as an important source of labor for Spain.
Police operating in the area are currently working to rapidly document the Moroccan applicants in Ceuta, in order to track their locations and residences. Representatives for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez maintained that the Spanish government “will facilitate the mobility of all asylum seekers who are in Ceuta” in an effort to help relieve the overwhelmed local authorities.
Authorities have also been stretched thin with a rapid increase of irregular migrants to Ceuta and Melilla, who have climbed the border fences multiple times in attempts to enter the European Union.
