Over the past two days, amid a diplomatic dispute between Morocco and Spain, more than 8,000 Moroccan migrants swam or climbed across the border into the small Spanish enclave of Ceuta in northern Africa. Border controls on the Moroccan side appear to have been relaxed recently, and thousands took advantage of the situation to flee to Spanish territory in search of opportunity. While about half of the new arrivals have since been returned to Morocco, thousands remain in Ceuta, relying on NGOs and locals who are struggling to provide food and support. Today, Spanish forces stepped up security as the influx of migrants appears to have slowed.
A Surge of Migrants Into a Spanish Enclave
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![Hundreds of people gather at a border fence on a beach, with some tear gas visible.]()
Read moreSpanish police try to disperse migrants at the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on May 18, 2021, in Fnideq. #
Fadel Senna / AFP / Getty -
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![Dozens of people go around the end of a border fence on a shoreline, either by walking on rocks or swimming around.]()
Read moreMoroccan citizens stand next to and swim around the Spanish-Moroccan border fence in Ceuta, Spain, on May 18, 2021. #
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![A soldier directs migrants on a beach.]()
Read moreA Spanish legionnaire indicates the direction for Moroccan citizens to go on El Tarajal beach as they climb out of the water on the Spanish side of the Spanish-Moroccan border fence on May 18, 2021. #
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![About a dozen migrants climb a cliffside.]()
Read moreMoroccan migrants climb a cliffside on the shore of the northern town of Fnideq as they attempt to cross the border from Morocco to Ceuta, Spain, on May 18, 2021. #
Fadel Senna / AFP / Getty -
![Two migrants wade near the rocky shore.]()
Read moreMoroccan migrants wade in shallow waters on the shore of the northern town of Fnideq as they attempt to cross the border from Morocco into Ceuta, Spain, on May 18, 2021. #
Fadel Senna / AFP / Getty -
![About a dozen people climb over a fence topped by razor wire.]()
Read moreMigrants scale a fence on their way to attempt entry into the Spanish territory of Ceuta, in Fnideq, Morocco, on May 18, 2021. #
Jalal Morchidi / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
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![Dozens of soldiers in riot gear walk on a beach.]()
Read moreSpanish soldiers stand guard, ready to intervene as migrants swim into the Spanish territory of Ceuta, on May 18, 2021. #
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![Dozens of people scramble up a steep hill.]()
Read moreMigrants avoid the Moroccan police as they try to reach the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on May 18, 2021, in Fnideq. #
Fadel Senna / AFP / Getty -
![About a dozen people stand on a rock near the shore, in front of soldiers.]()
Read moreMoroccan citizens stand on rocks in front of Spanish legionnaires at El Tarajal beach, near the Spanish-Moroccan border fence, on May 18, 2021. #
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![A soldier carries a migrant on the beach.]()
Read moreA Spanish soldier carries a migrant near the border fence in Ceuta, Spain, on May 19, 2021. #
Jon Nazca / Reuters -
![Soldiers and military vehicles stand along a border fence on a beach.]()
Read moreSpanish legionnaires stand guard at El Tarajal beach, on the Spanish side of the Spanish-Moroccan border fence, in Ceuta, on May 18, 2021. #
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![More than a dozen migrants approach a beach in a small boat.]()
Read moreMigrants arrive at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on May 19, 2021. #
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![Migrants swim toward a soldier who waits on shore.]()
Read moreA Spanish civil guard waits for migrants to arrive in Ceuta on May 19, 2021. #
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![Soldiers swing batons at migrants on a beach.]()
Read moreSpanish soldiers clash with migrants near the border on May 18, 2021. #
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![Migrants crawl under a fence.]()
Read moreMigrants in Fnideq, Morocco, crawl under a fence on their way to the Spanish territory of Ceuta on May 18, 2021. #
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![Several people scale a tall fence.]()
Read morePeople climb a fence near the border of Morocco and Spain, outside the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, on May 18, 2021. #
Mosa'ab Elshamy / AP -
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![A man helps a boy climb a fence.]()
Read moreA man helps a boy climb a fence outside of Ceuta on May 18, 2021. #
Mosa'ab Elshamy / AP -
![A migrant drops to the sidewalk from a narrow passage between buildings.]()
Read moreA migrant crosses into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on May 19, 2021. #
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![Soldiers carry and escort people along a beach.]()
Read moreSpanish security forces carry and escort Moroccan citizens at El Tarajal beach in Ceuta, Spain, on May 18, 2021. #
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![Dozens of young men and boys stand in a line among soldiers and aid workers.]()
Read moreMoroccan minors line up at a facility prepared for them to rest and have food, after thousands of migrants swam across the Spanish-Moroccan border, in Ceuta, Spain, on May 19, 2021. #
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![A young migrant runs up stairs in an alleyway.]()
Read moreA migrant runs after crossing into Ceuta early on the morning of May 19, 2021. #
Bernat Armangue / AP -
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![Young men and boys sleep in stacked beds and shelving.]()
Read moreYoung people sleep inside a warehouse turned into a makeshift center for migrant minors in Ceuta, on May 19, 2021. #
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![A boy kneels in prayer on a beach.]()
Read moreA boy prays before taking a swim in the Moroccan town of Fnideq, near the border between Morocco and Spain, on May 18, 2021. #
Mosa'ab Elshamy / AP -
![Young men swim from Morocco to nearby Spanish territory.]()
Read moreMoroccan boys swim from the border town of Fnideq toward the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on May 19, 2021. #
Mosa'ab Elshamy / AP
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