Ceuta’s leader says 100 died in border rush as up to 5,000 still in enclave

At least 100 people died during mass migrant crossings from Morocco into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta , the city’s leader says, as thousands of undocumented people remain in the enclave.

Juan Jesus Vivas, head of Ceuta’s local government, gave the death toll while testifying on Thursday before the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in Brussels.

He said between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta, which he described as still reeling from the crossings last week.

European Union migration commissioner Magnus Brunner told the same hearing that Spain had assured Brussels the crisis would not affect Schengen, the EU’s passport-free travel zone. But he warned Ceuta had exposed a deeper weakness: Europe’s border security depends too heavily on the cooperation of a single neighbouring country.

“As long as control depends on the goodwill of one neighbouring state, we remain … vulnerable,” he said.

About 72,000 migrants swam or crossed on foot from Morocco into Ceuta last Thursday and Friday, according to Spanish authorities, in one of the largest movements into EU territory in recent years.

Vivas called it an “invasion” – and he noted the number of those who entered was roughly equal to the enclave’s entire population of more than 80,000.

Spain’s government declined to attend the hearing; the European Commission attended in its place.