Spain announced Friday that it was deploying troops to Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory on the coast of North Africa, to deal with an influx of tens of thousands of migrants who entered from Morocco illegally, overwhelming border security by their sheer numbers. File photo by Jalal Morchidi/EPA
July 31 (UPI) -- Spain said Friday that it was deploying troops to Ceuta, an autonomous Spanish principality on the coast of North Africa, to deal with an influx of tens of thousands of migrants who illegally crossed from Morocco.
Authorities requested assistance from Madrid after the security situation descended into chaos on Thursday with border integrity completely overwhelmed and at least 15 people drowned after attempting to swim to Ceuta.
"The armed forces will reinforce the Civil Guard in the exercise of its powers and any others that may be necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta," said Spain's Interior Ministry.
It added that it was coordinating with Morocco to address the flow of migrants and that both governments were committed to coming up with and implementing measures for the swift return "of all people who have entered illegally."
