During the afternoon of this Friday, thousands of people continue crossing the border of El Tarajal towards Morocco from Ceuta, while only small groups continue trying to reach the Autonomous City by swimming, as verified by Europa Press on the ground.
The volume of departures to the neighboring country far exceeds that of new arrivals, and those leaving Ceuta do so visibly exhausted after spending the day wandering through a city that is practically paralyzed, with most businesses closed.
Until 8:30 PM, according to direct observation by this agency, the people trying to approach the Ceuta coast have encountered about 30 soldiers from the Army deployed to monitor the beach of El Tarajal. In the area, ambulances have also been set up to assist the injured and those who have shown symptoms of drowning after jumping into the sea from Morocco.
Some of them, especially the younger ones, have managed to evade the forces with the intention of entering the urban center. However, the agents consulted by Europa Press believe it is a matter of hours before these people get tired of staying in the city and, as has happened with most of those who have arrived in the last 24 hours, choose to return to Morocco.
The decrease in the number of attempts to swim into Ceuta has led to the soldiers stationed at the beach withdrawing from the sand around 8:30 PM.
Numerous soldiers stationed in Ceuta speak Arabic and, throughout the day, have accompanied those who had to return to Morocco to the border crossing, in a climate described as one of cooperation and collaboration.
According to the latest update released by the Government, as of 6:00 PM, the number of immigrants who have returned to Morocco from Ceuta stood at 48,300. In this regard, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and the European Union, José Manuel Albares, indicated in a message on the social network X that "the vast majority" of immigrants have already "returned to Morocco."