Ceuta and Melilla: how the colonial legacies of these cities have shaped migration in the region

Ceuta, a small Spanish enclave on the Moroccan mainland, was unprepared for the arrival of more than 70,000 undocumented migrants on July 30. They arrived mostly by sea, from Morocco via the Tarajal breakwaters and its shoreline. The minuscule city of just seven square miles had few provisions for food, shelter or support for the unexpected arrivals. This was a shocking exposure of the apparent porosity of the city’s heavily fortified borders. More than 95% of the migrants have since returned…