Moroccan security forces arrest nearly 300 migrants trying to reach Spain’s Ceuta
CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Hundreds of migrants trying to reach the Spanish exclave of Ceuta by land and sea were arrested by Moroccan security forces, Moroccan state television reported Sunday, as authorities tightened…
Nearly 300 migrants attempting to reach Spain's Ceuta from Morocco were apprehended by security forces, according to Moroccan state television. The arrests occurred on Saturday, August 15, 2026, as authorities stepped up border security following calls for a mass migration. Of the 294 individuals arrested, all were from sub-Saharan Africa.
Additionally, 61 Moroccans were apprehended for allegedly assisting in the migration attempts. The surge in social media posts urging migrants to head to Ceuta prompted Moroccan and Spanish authorities to increase their security presence and restrict movement in the vicinity. This incident follows a previous surge two weeks ago, during which tens of thousands of migrants, motivated by poverty and misinformation, rushed towards Ceuta in one of the deadliest migration crises in the region.
At least 90 people were killed on both sides of the border, although human rights groups reported higher casualty numbers. The Moroccan interior ministry declined to comment on the latest arrests or the number of security personnel deployed along the border, which reportedly stands at over 20,000 Moroccan security personnel per day at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.
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