The Government has updated the number of immigrants who have returned to Morocco from Ceuta to 48,300 as of 6:00 PM on Friday, July 31, following the serious migration crisis in which more than 50,000 people managed to access the autonomous city irregularly, according to official data.
During almost the entire day on Thursday, the flow of arrivals to Ceuta was constant, but this Friday a significant portion of those who crossed the border by swimming or skirting the El Tarajal breakwater has begun to return.
At noon, Pedro Sánchez's Executive placed the number of returnees at 25,000, with a rate of 150 people per minute, and a few hours later raised the figure to 37,500. By late afternoon, the Government's estimate increased to 48,300, very close to the total number of those who had accessed the city.
However, the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas (PP), stated that the actual figure was even higher, up to 60,000 people in a single day, mostly of Moroccan nationality, and of which approximately 7,000 would be minors.
That same Friday, Sánchez traveled to the autonomous city and defined what happened as an attack and a violation of Spain's territorial integrity, in addition to announcing the placement of buoys in the sea as a measure against mass arrivals.
The head of the Executive held the mafias dedicated to human trafficking and the call spread on social networks to cross to Ceuta after a recent ruling by the Supreme Court that prohibited "hot returns" responsible.
Likewise, he defended cooperation with Morocco, although he called on Rabat for firmer action so that "as soon as possible" all migrants who crossed the border irregularly return to their countries of origin.