The leader of the French far-right party National Rally today accused the Government of Madrid of encouraging the mass entry of migrants into Spanish territory, while the French government defended reinforcing border controls in the country.
Marine Le Pen stated that France should seek to halt what she considers to be “madness” by restricting “free movement” within the Schengen Area to citizens of the European Union.
Also today, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that border controls with Spain will be reinforced and that he is in contact with the Spanish Government regarding the crisis caused by the mass arrival of migrants from Morocco to the Spanish city of Ceuta, in North Africa.
At least 19 people have drowned since Thursday while attempting to enter the Spanish city of Ceuta from Morocco, with the situation at this border remaining tense early this morning.
Read more about this topic: About 49,000 illegals enter Spain’s Ceuta enclave in 24 hours (with videos)
According to Spanish police sources, the number of bodies recovered from the sea in Ceuta since Thursday has risen to 19, after thousands of people advanced toward the border from the Moroccan side to cross or attempt to cross into the Spanish enclave by swimming, on foot, or jumping over the fence that exists between the two territories.
Spanish media outlets with journalists on the ground reported that the police deployment on both sides of the border was, at those moments, unable to stop the wave of people.
As happened overnight, “numerous people” continued crossing the border this morning, writes the Europa Press agency, and the streets of the city of Ceuta “woke up with hundreds of young migrants sleeping in the streets as the irregular arrivals from Morocco continue,” described the newspaper El País.
According to the EFE news agency, movement at the border is now, however, happening in both directions, with “hundreds of migrants” who entered Ceuta also beginning, this morning, “to return to Morocco through the same point where they entered,” near the border footbridge in the El Tarajal area.
Read more about this topic: Spain: What to know about Ceuta as illegal crossings from Morocco surge (with videos)
On Thursday, two senior officials linked to American President Donald Trump used images showing hundreds of migrants crossing the border from Morocco into the Spanish autonomous region of Ceuta to defend the current U.S. administration’s immigration policies, warning about the “possible return of Democrats to power” in the United States.
“This is what would happen under the [Joe] Biden Administration. Thank god President (Donald) Trump was elected, so that none of this could happen,” wrote Steven Cheung, communications director for the President of the United States, on social media, who also used the images from Ceuta.
