More than 25,000 migrants return to Morocco from Spain's Ceuta

More than 25,000 migrants have returned to Morocco from Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta following a mass border crossing earlier this week, Spain's Interior Ministry said on Friday.

In a statement shared with AFP, the ministry said that by 1:00 p.m. GMT on July 31, around 25,000 people had crossed back into Morocco from Ceuta.

The ministry added that migrants were leaving the enclave at a pace of nearly 150 people per minute.
The update came after an estimated 60,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco in a sudden influx that prompted a strong response from the Spanish government.

During a visit to Ceuta on Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the mass crossing, calling it "an attack" and "a violation" of Spain's territorial integrity.

"The Spanish government stands with the city of Ceuta. We understand the emotion and the state of anxiety they have been experiencing over the last few hours, especially today," Sanchez said.

He added that the incident amounted to "an attack, a violation on Spain's territorial integrity."