Some 60,000 migrants have entered the territory from Morocco, the local regional president Juan Jesus Vivas told reporters.By Friday evening, however, officials said more than 48,000 of them had returned to Morocco.To cross into Ceuta, many had swam around a small border barrier that juts out into the Mediterranean Sea, but at least 34 died in the attempt.
Ceuta: Thousands of migrants cross the Spanish border © Nalini LEPETIT-CHELLA, Sabrina BLANCHARD / AFP
The sudden, massive influx sparked an international crisis. France tightened checks on its border with Spain and reinforced police and gendarmes there.Italy announced it had suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain, the zone allowing free movement between the borders of its member states.Several European countries had already said Spain's membership in the Schengen free movement zone should be suspended.And across the Atlantic, US President Donald Trump led far-right efforts to seize on the crossing to advance hardline immigration policies.'Trafficking mafias'Madrid rushed troops, more police, drones, divers and boats to the outpost that it has run for centuries as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his interior minister visited the enclave Friday.AFP reporters have seen hundreds of people -- men, women and children -- entering Ceuta, discarding flotation rings and clothes used in the risky passage.
