Spain says 3,000–5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta after mass crossings from Morocco

CEUTA, Spain — Between 3,000 and 5,000 irregular migrants remain in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the North African coast, the city's governor, Juan Jesús Vivas, told Spanish state broadcaster TVE. He said the number of migrants in the city has not returned to normal and that reception centers remain under strain. City government adviser Alberto Gaitán said Ceuta is still hosting 862 unaccompanied migrant children, well above the 29-person capacity set by the central government for such minors. He added that two additional facilities are being prepared to shelter the children and noted that Spain's migration law requires unaccompanied minors to be placed under state supervision. Morocco's Interior Ministry said that during a mass crossing attempt last Thursday, around 40,000 people tried to reach Ceuta and that 11 people died in the incident. Spanish security sources said roughly 69,500 migrants who entered Ceuta in recent days have since returned to Morocco.