More than 33 immigrants make daring swim across Ceuta-Morocco border

Early morning on Saturday, multiple groups of immigrants made daring swims from Morocco to various beaches in Ceuta, Spain, as their final destination. Despite the risks, immigrants continue to venture into the Mediterranean Sea in their attempts to reach Spain via its coasts. In the early hours of Saturday, May 27, 33 immigrants from Morocco arrived on the shores of Ceuta after swimming across the border.

The incursions occurred in groups and at different times throughout the night. According to police sources, the latest arrival of individuals occurred around 1:00 PM on Saturday, consisting of two immigrants from Algeria and two from Syria. These four individuals, aged between 23 and 28, brought the total number of arrivals in Ceuta to 33.

During the early morning hours, immigrants arrived by swimming. The first two immigrants set foot on the Benzú beach at 3:30 AM. Later, at 6:30 AM, 18 more individuals reached the Tarajal beach. Nine of them arrived at the Almadraba beach around 10:00 AM, both located in the southern bay waters of the city.

The Civil Guard has deployed a special operation in the area to assist these individuals, and volunteers from the Spanish Red Cross have also been mobilized to provide support. However, the immigrants have been intercepted by the police forces and attended to by the Red Cross, with no need for transfer to the University Hospital.

The future of these individuals involves their relocation to the Temporary Stay Center for Immigrants (CETI), while those who are native to Morocco will be repatriated, as is customary in such clandestine entries. The arrival of this group of 33 immigrants marks one of the largest single-day influxes recorded in Ceuta since 2021. The initial hypothesis suggests a prior agreement among them to embark on the Mediterranean journey, particularly taking advantage of the favorable weather conditions in recent hours.

The last time a similar situation occurred was on May 17 and 18, 2021. Around 12,000 people accessed Spain through the border breakwater at Tarajal beach. This crossing included approximately 1,500 minors, and one person lost their life in the attempt. Between these two dates, only small groups of one to three people arriving by swimming have been recorded.