Madar (International) - Spanish authorities have deported more than a dozen migrants from the city of Ceuta to Morocco after their asylum applications were rejected, in what the agency described as the first deportation of its kind since a mass crossing from Morocco in July, Reuters reported on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, via Al Jazeera English.
Spain's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday it had deported the migrants after their asylum applications were rejected, and that Morocco had agreed to receive them. Non-governmental organisations told Reuters that 16 people from African, Middle Eastern and Asian countries had been deported.
Amnesty International criticised the move. Its researcher Virginia Alvarez said Spain, "despite its speeches in Europe, is not ensuring that human rights guarantees are met for people who cross its borders in Ceuta and Melilla".
The Interior Ministry told Reuters in a statement that the European Union considers Morocco a safe country, adding that deportations are carried out "with all the necessary safeguards".
About 80,000 people entered Ceuta from Morocco over 48 hours in late July, and at least 100 died during the crossing, according to the same source. Most left within days, but about 8,000 migrants remain, some sleeping on the streets while others are housed by the state, charities and civil society groups.
The crisis has become a major political challenge for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is seeking re-election in snap polls scheduled for November 29. Far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal has branded him a "traitor".
