At Ceuta, at least 528 unaccompanied minors are present

According to sources from the Ceuta government, about 900 children, all of whom are Moroccan citizens, are in three reception centers—La Esperanza, Tarajal Nueva Esperanza, and Pinners.

However, the regional government warned that many minors may be in illegal locations in the city, especially in the mountains, or have not yet been found by local police, who are moving teenagers and young people to appropriate shelters.

Authorities believe that the number of minors under protection may change in the coming hours and exceed a thousand, although it was reported that some of these young people voluntarily returned to Morocco with parents who made an illegal crossing from Morocco.

Nevertheless, local police continue to search for these Moroccans, presumably minors, to hand them over to state-run institutions.

The autonomous Spanish city of Ceuta, located in North Africa, recorded the entry of thousands of migrants from Morocco last week. Local authorities estimate the number of arrivals to be close to 60,000, which is almost as many as permanently reside there. Most migrants have already voluntarily returned to Morocco, according to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.

According to the latest official report, at least 71 people died trying to reach Ceuta by swimming since Thursday. This incident prompted a reaction from several European leaders, including countries such as Italy, Denmark, Finland, Czechia, and Sweden, who demanded the suspension of Spain's participation in the Schengen area of free movement, and called on other countries, including Portugal, to strengthen border control for fear that thousands of people who reached Ceuta could enter mainland Spain and use the freedom of movement to travel to the rest of Europe.

After thousands of people crossed the border of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco, Spain has intensified efforts to strengthen its borders in North Africa to prevent further mass crossings.

According to the head of the enclave, approximately 60,000 people crossed the border from Morocco into Ceuta. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior reported that about 13,000 such people were returned to Morocco on Friday. Furthermore, Madrid estimates indicate that about 8,000 children were among those who arrived.

Video footage published online shows people swimming towards the enclave along the barrier, with some using life vests and swimsuits for this dangerous journey. One of the migrants, Jadid Zakaria, stated: 'We are very happy to be here.' He added that the crossing from the ocean was extremely difficult, and despite attempts by Moroccan police to stop them, they managed to reach the location due to their determination.

Once they reached Spanish territory, many began chanting 'viva Espana' or 'long live Spain.' Ceuta, being a small Spanish possession on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco, along with Melilla, another autonomous Spanish city territory on the northern coast of the country, forms the only land border between the European Union (EU) and Africa.

The mass influx into Ceuta has caused shock and division in Europe. France announced increased checks at its border with Spain, while Italy threatened to exclude Spain from the EU's internal open border regime.

Meanwhile, Moroccan authorities deployed trucks with water cannons at the gates of Ceuta and pushed people back. Reuters reported that charred remains of a bus and seven cars were found near the site of clashes with the crowd.

Spanish authorities have stated their intention to deport illegally entered individuals as soon as possible, despite a court ruling that limited the application of special 'border refusal' rules allowing immediate expulsion from the enclave.

People attempting to reach Ceuta usually swim several kilometers from more distant parts of the coast to avoid the heavily fortified border. However, this time they seemed to approach the fence with minimal difficulty. Some first walked along the rocky sea parapet and around its end, while most entered the water and swam around the barrier to reach the beaches on the Spanish side.

Both cities, Ceuta and Melilla, with populations of 85,000 each, periodically face surges in attempted crossings by those seeking to enter Europe. Nevertheless, the scale of the influx on Thursday was unprecedented, marking the largest arrival in Ceuta since May 2021, when thousands of people entered the enclave amid a diplomatic dispute between Spain and Morocco over Western Sahara.

It is unclear what caused the new wave of attempted crossings. Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, stated on Friday that this surge could be partly due to a decision by the Spanish Supreme Court made earlier this month, which stipulated that people intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla could not be returned under simplified rules.

Jamila El Abboudi, an activist from the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), told Le Monde that 'the court decision prompted migrants to head to Ceuta by sea.' Other commentators point to Morocco's anger over the visit of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to Algiers, Spain's largest gas supplier.

On the Moroccan side of the border, thousands of people flooded into the town of Fnideq overnight, despite enhanced security measures that prevented most crossing attempts. Although the crossing appeared blocked, groups moved along the coast searching for routes around the fence. Some prepared to swim. Brahim, 32, who gave only his name, told Reuters that he traveled from Tangier hoping to pass through the gates but found them effectively closed. Among those hoping to cross the border were women and children from both Morocco and sub-Saharan African countries.

This visit was seen as an attempt by Spain to ease tensions after Madrid supported Morocco's plan for autonomy in Western Sahara in 2022—territory disputed by the independence Front Polisario, supported by Algeria.