Hundreds of migrants have reached Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco over the past week, many swimming or using flotation devices to cross. Ceuta’s leader, Juan Jesús Vivas, said the arrivals were overwhelming local resources and called for intervention by Spain’s central government, describing the situation as both a humanitarian and security emergency.

Reports differ on the scale of Thursday’s crossings: Spanish media estimated 2,000 to 3,000 arrivals, while public broadcaster RTVE reported hundreds and said more than 1,500, mostly young Moroccans, had arrived over the previous two weeks. Reception facilities for unaccompanied minors are reportedly operating far above capacity, and 60 bodies have been recovered at sea in recent months; the surge recalls May 2021, when about 8,000 people entered Ceuta within days.