Spain Closed the Beni Ensar Border Crossing With Morocco on July 31, But It Was Reopened Yesterday

The death toll among irregular migrants attempting to reach Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco has climbed to 88, according to local authorities. Citing police sources, Spain’s EFE news agency reported that the return of migrants who crossed into Ceuta is ongoing, with an estimated 73,500 people sent back to Morocco since July 30. El País reported that Ceuta officials confirmed the new death toll. Security forces have been conducting street checks to ensure that all migrants who entered the city after July 30 have been returned.

Spain closed the Beni Ensar border crossing with Morocco on July 31, but it was reopened yesterday. Little movement was seen at the Tarajal crossing, where a group of ten tried to swim across in the morning before being stopped by Spanish soldiers. On July 30, authorities intervened against more than 800 irregular migrants attempting to swim from Morocco’s Fenidek coast to Ceuta. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government had mobilized all available resources, and Madrid later decided to deploy armed forces to the area amid the surge in migration attempts.