Hundreds of Muslim migrants held in detention centre after massive illegal forced entry into Ceuta, Spain
Over 50,000 Muslim migrants stormed into Ceuta, Spain, and overwhelmed authorities on July 30.
I'm on the ground in Ceuta, Spain alongside my colleague, Efrain Monsanto, as the aftermath of the July 30 migrant invasion unfolds.
We are currently at the Centro Ecuestre, one of the local migrant centres, where hundreds of migrants are being held. Authorities are separating the women from the men, and a local taxi driver explained to us that this is a common safety protocol here to prevent sexual assault.
These individuals are mainly from Sub-Saharan Africa and Mauritania, and many tell us they have nothing left for them in Morocco. They would rather stay here, noting that even if they are sent back to Morocco, they will simply cross the border into Spain again.
The sheer volume of people is staggering for a tiny autonomous city with a permanent population of only 83,000 residents. The local taxi driver told me that many of the people here crossed during a massive influx last Thursday and Friday. They were caught across the city by the army and brought to this facility to be processed.
The crisis extends well beyond this centre, as we saw the local beaches completely packed with hundreds of migrants waiting to buy water and other items at nearby shops.
The conditions inside the facility are visibly strained. If you live inside, there are no beds available for you to sleep on at night, leaving people to just walk around while authorities monitor the surrounding forests.
According to local sources, the European Union is funding these operations, which involve surveying the area, managing the crowd, and registering the personal information of everyone who has crossed.
More from our investigation:
Alexandra Lavoie
Quebec based Journalist
Alexa graduated with a degree in biology from Laval University. Throughout her many travels, she has seen political instability as well as corruption. While she witnessed social disorder on a daily basis, she has always been a defender of society’s most vulnerable. She’s been around the world several times, and now joins Rebel News to shed light on today’s biggest stories.
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