Spain deports African, Asian asylum seekers to Morocco

Spain has returned over a dozen African and Asian asylum seekers to Morocco after they were rejected in Ceuta and their applications were turned down, marking the first such deportation from the enclave since a large influx in July. The Spanish Interior Ministry stated that the group was sent back to Morocco once it agreed to accept them, and they currently remain in Morocco.

The ministry did not reveal the exact number or nationalities of the deportees. Human rights groups in Ceuta reported that 16 individuals from Senegal, Nigeria, Yemen, Cameroon, and Bangladesh were deported. They argue that these returns disregard the risks faced by migrants in Morocco and contradict Spain's progressive values. Amnesty International's researcher, Virginia Alvarez, called Spain's stance hypocritical, as the country fails to ensure human rights for those crossing its borders in Ceuta and Melilla.

Neither Morocco's Interior Ministry nor the International Organization for Migration responded to inquiries about the situation. Spain's Interior Ministry spokesperson claimed that Morocco is deemed a safe country by the EU and that deportations are conducted with necessary safeguards. In July, approximately 80,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, with most returning within days; however, thousands remained, putting pressure on the government to address the crisis before elections on November 29.

Over 8,000 migrants are currently housed in reception centers, and asylum applications are being processed for the majority of those still in Ceuta. Several NGOs, including Amnesty International, have accused the Spanish government of forcing some of the over 13,000 who have returned to Morocco since mid-August to leave, including non-Moroccans.