Around 1,000 Moroccan migrants cross into Spanish territory

MADRID (AP) — Around 1,000 Moroccans, a third of whom are presumed to be minors, swam and used inflatable boats Monday to cross into the Spanish northern African enclave of Ceuta, authorities said.

Ceuta and nearby Melilla are regarded as a stepping stone into Europe for African migrants. Hundreds of them risk injuries or death every year while trying to jump over fences, hide inside vehicles or by swimming around breakwaters that extend several meters into the Mediterranean Sea.

But the figure of 1,000 people making the crossing in a single day was shocking.

Footage published by El Faro de Ceuta, a local newspaper, showed people climbing the rocky wall of the breakwaters and running across the Tarajal beach, in the southeastern end of the city.

Other videos verified by The Associated Press showed long rows of young men lining up at the gates of a warehouse managed by the local Red Cross, waiting to get registered by Spanish Civil Guard officers.

The influx of Moroccans came at the end of the Muslim celebrations of Ramadan, when many residents in Europe return home after visiting relatives in the northern African country. It also followed the souring of relations between Morocco and Spain over Madrid's decision to allow the leader of a militant group fighting for independence from Morocco to receive hospital treatment in Spain.

Brahim Ghali, the head of the Polisario Front that disputes Rabat's claim on Western Sahara, is recovering from COVID-19 in a hospital in northern Spain, the Spanish government has said, justifying the decision to give him shelter on humanitarian grounds.

The Moroccan foreign ministry said last month that Madrid's move was “inconsistent with the spirit of partnership and good neighborliness.” In May, the ministry also said that Spain's move...