Efrain Flores Monsanto and Alexa Lavoie traveled to Ceuta to report on recent mass illegal crossings into Spain’s two North African enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla.
Spanish authorities installed a new floating barrier along Ceuta’s coastal border to prevent people from swimming into Spanish territory from Morocco. However, migrants continue climbing fences, crossing by land, and wading through the water, raising questions about whether the new defenses work effectively.
The reporters entered El Príncipe, one of Ceuta’s most dangerous neighborhoods, where residents report assaults, robberies, and deaths. Migrants shelter in bushes and hills surrounding the district—this is where the reporters found them. Migrants live there with some locals providing water and basic necessities.
Along the shoreline, the impact of crossings is evident: some beach sections remain untouched while others have been cleaned. Piles of garbage, makeshift tunnels, and bedding near the ferry terminal show city strain. A visitor described seeing new arrivals sleeping in grass shortly after reaching Spanish soil.
At night, risks escalate. Hotel workers noted new arrivals are no longer concentrated in one area but scattered across the city. During an interview with illegal migrants, someone threw a rock at Lavoie, forcing the reporters to leave.
Some migrants said they crossed for a better life and hoped, with God’s help, to support their families. One stated, “We keep our stuff clean,” while the ground around him was covered in garbage.
