Migrants in Ceuta Persist in Hopes of Staying in Spain Amid Crisis

CEUTA, Spain — Dikra, a 20-year-old Moroccan migrant, had spent five days in Ceuta as of Sunday after swimming to Spanish territory with her younger sister and cousin. Since arriving, all her meals have come from local residents, and she is uncertain when she will eat again. Despite the hardships, Dikra is determined to remain. She requested her surname be withheld for security reasons, stating clearly, “I want to stay. I want to go to Spain.”

By Sunday afternoon, Dikra was among the last migrants still in the city following the return of thousands of the estimated 60,000 migrants who crossed the border from Morocco on Thursday and Friday. The crossing resulted in at least 72 deaths and sparked a humanitarian crisis, reigniting debates on immigration policies across Europe and beyond.

In Tangier, Dikra shared that she previously worked as a cleaner but left with her sister and cousin partly to escape their alcoholic father. She hopes to use her hairdressing diploma obtained in mainland Spain to build a new future.

However, she remains separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar and faces the complexities of the European Union's asylum system.

Other migrants like Abdel Karim, 35, also from Morocco, waited outside Ceuta's official migrant reception center on Sunday, seeking information about the authorities' plans for those remaining in the city. Karim, previously unemployed in Morocco, lived in mainland Spain years ago before being expelled from France, where he was homeless.

"In Morocco, I am seen as a deportee," Karim said. "Those who are deported know what it means: stress, depression, anxiety." He recounted seeing social media posts about others attempting the crossing amid the chaos. Carrying only 10 euros, Karim crossed with blistered feet. In Spain, he is willing to work in any job and remains focused on reaching his goal despite the challenges.

Ceuta and its sister city Melilla are not part of the European Union’s Schengen Area, and travelers to mainland Europe must undergo border controls. On a Ceuta beach, hundreds of migrants who arrived days earlier gathered Sunday night. Some crowded around a Spanish army truck where soldiers distributed water.

Cesse Aliou, a 25-year-old Senegalese migrant, rested outside a nearby shelter with a group of sub-Saharan men and women. Aliou previously earned 279 euros (322 dollars) monthly from a call center job in Morocco but found the work unstable. He took a train from Casablanca to Tangier and then to Fnideq, from where he swam to Ceuta.

Across the street, in a tree-shaded area near the shelter, tensions rose as migrants fought over water donated by residents. "We are very tired. Eating, sleeping, it’s very difficult here," Aliou said, pointing to the unrest. "Look at the situation."

This report was translated from English by an AP editor with assistance from a generative artificial intelligence tool.