Following the Ceuta migration crisis, Morocco is said to have strengthened checks targeting certain Algerian and Tunisian travelers. At Mohammed V Airport in particular, not having a return ticket or hotel reservation could lead to refusal of entry.
Moroccans will no longer have their immigrant visa applications rejected wholesale because of their nationality. A U.S. federal judge has just annulled the measure that had suspended the processing of applications from 75 countries, including Morocco, since January.
Entering Ceuta is not enough to reach mainland Spain. Migrants who remained in the enclave after the mass arrivals in July are now paying smugglers up to 9000 euros to cross the Strait of Gibraltar clandestinely.
Irregular entries into Ceuta have nearly tripled since January. But this striking figure does not even include the 72,000 crossings recorded at the end of July: for the second consecutive report, Spain’s Interior Ministry is leaving them out of its statistics.
Spain is further strengthening its military presence in Ceuta. More than 150 soldiers from the Canary Islands Command will join the units already deployed in the city following the mass arrival of migrants from Morocco in late July.
Some people recruited in Morocco to leave the country sometimes pay thousands of euros to obtain legal work in Italy. Once they are in debt, some discover that the promised job does not exist and become dependent on the same intermediaries who arranged their arrival.
At 26, Mohamed holds a degree in electrical engineering and was working in Morocco. On 30 July, he left Fnideq by swimming to reach Ceuta. Fifteen days later, he is still sleeping outdoors and depends on food distributions.
A Moroccan man obtains the annulment of the Dutch justice system’s refusal of his asylum application. Yet the victory has no impact on his future: the court upholds his obligation to leave the Netherlands, as well as a two-year entry ban.
Spanish police officers and civil guards had warned Madrid several times before the mass influx toward Sebta. Reuters found six warnings addressed to the authorities in the weeks preceding 29 and 30 July.
Bilal was preparing to leave Morocco legally to marry Claudia in Argentina. Convinced that a detour through Spain would make his journey easier, he swam to Sebta. Two weeks later, the young Moroccan is mainly looking for a way to return home .
Bilal worked in Fnideq before heading to Ceuta during the recent wave of crossings. Trained in mechanics, he hoped to find better prospects there. Once there, however, even some Moroccan employers refused to hire him.
Moundir, 3, who has cerebral palsy, no longer has to sleep on a blanket laid directly on the pavement in Ceuta. After spending several days looking for somewhere to sleep with his parents, accommodation has finally been found for the family.