Spain deports over a dozen migrants from Ceuta, sparking Amnesty criticism

On Tuesday, Spain’s Interior Ministry deported 16 migrants who had entered the North African enclave of Ceuta after their asylum applications were denied, and Morocco consented to take them back. This is the first deportation of its kind since the July mass crossing that brought about 80,000 people into Ceuta over two days and resulted in at least 100 deaths. Amnesty International’s researcher Virginia Alvarez said the expulsions could jeopardise the migrants’ human-rights protections, noting Morocco’s poor record.

The Spanish government countered that the EU regards Morocco as a safe country and that the removals were carried out with required safeguards. The move comes as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces a political showdown ahead of snap polls on November 29, with far-right leader Santiago Abascal of Vox branding the prime minister a “traitor” and protesters demanding a different handling of the crisis.