Spain’s King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia arrived in Ceuta on Tuesday afternoon to talk to local leaders and meet with residents still dealing with a major incident at the border with Morocco over the summer.
The trip marks the first royal visit to Ceuta, and Spain’s other exclave in the area Melilla, since Felipe’s father Juan Carlos I toured the cities in 2007.
Excited crowds gathered to welcome the royals, with some noting that it felt like national authorities were finally paying attention to their plight.
What happened in Ceuta?
In late July, some 70,000 refugees in Morocco rushed the border fence with Spain. More than 140 people were killed in the scuffle.
The incident threw the city of some 84,000 residents into the international spotlight, with calls from right-wing governments within the European Union to suspend the Schengen free movement agreement with Spain.
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However, it soon became clear that most of the refugees were quickly turned back to Morocco, and because of Ceuta’s remote location, none moved on to mainland Europe except a group of at-risk children.
At the same time, locals complained that national officials did little to help with at least 10,000 migrants still in the city, and the alleged human traffickers trying to capitalize on the situation.
Meanwhile, the migrants who have been unable to return to Morocco have accused Spanish police of brutality and other abuses.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has accused organized groups stemming from Russia and Israel for spreading misinformation regarding alleged changes in Spain’s immigration rules.
The incident also exposed diplomatic tensions between Spain and Morocco. Morocco does not recognize Madrid’s claim to Ceuta, which has been under Spanish control for centuries. It remains to be seen how Rabat will react to Felipe’s trip.
Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez
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