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Rabat – Spanish security services arrested on Monday, November 11, sixty-four Moroccan undocumented migrants hidden in different locations within the Ceuta port.
The list of migrants included 37 Moroccan minors caught inside the port facilities. The operation in collaboration with the port authorities and is part of campaigns to reduce migratory pressure at the port.
EFE reported that the minors were hidden in several places at the port, including the top of a gas station.
Authorities arrested a total of 90 irregular migrants, including 27 other Moroccan undocumented migrants. Ceuta authorities also apprehended a number of Algerian migrants hiding in the port, the EFE added.
The adult Moroccan migrants will be the subjects of repatriation procedures, while the minors were transferred to a migrant reception center.
Morocco, a destination country for some refugees and migrants, is also a transit country for thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe through its northern border with Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
Read Also: Sanchez: Undocumented Migration in Spain Down by 50% Thanks to Morocco
Spain and Morocco cooperate in the ongoing fight against migratory pressure. The European country acknowledges Morocco’s “effective” role in cutting the number of undocumented immigrants annually.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on November 4 that his country reduced the number of undocumented migrants crossing its borders by more than 50%.
“We have managed to reduce by more than 50% the number of illegal migrants arriving on our shores through cooperation with our partners, especially with Morocco,” Sanchez said.
The Spanish Ministry of Interior said that about 1,030 boats arrived on the Spanish coast from January to October 2019 compared to 1,775 boats during the same period last year. The number represents a significant decrease of 42%.
