Intensified monitoring of Morocco’s coastline near the Tarajal border with Ceuta has significantly reduced the number of migrants reaching the enclave by sea by 80%, Spanish news agency EFE reported on Thursday.
For many years, migrants seeking entry into Ceuta have attempted to cross the border by swimming from Morocco, particularly around the coastal area of Tarajal. The situation has presented challenges to both local authorities and migrant reception centers, EFE said.
Police sources speaking to EFE reported that the number of migrants entering Ceuta by swimming there way there has returned to previous levels recorded earlier in the year. “While the number of migrants attempting to cross the border by swimming remains high, the overall volume has decreased significantly,” they said.
The decline in illegal immigration can be attributed to several factors, including a reinforced military and police presence along the Moroccan border, the construction of a border fence, and increased security operations in the Castillejos area, near the customs checkpoint.
“In the past 24 hours, just three adult Moroccan migrants and two minors managed to gain entry to Ceuta by swimming,” EFE reported on Thursday. Despite the recent decline in the number of migrants, both the Temporary Stay Center for Immigrants (CETI) and the reception centers for minors in Ceuta remain significantly overcrowded while awaiting the transfer of migrants to their countries of origin.