Cueta is a Spanish enclave in North Africa by the Strait of Gibraltar and has a land border with Morocco – there is also a six meter high wall that stretches for just under a mile.
In the past it has been a place where migrants tried to cross over to the EU, but today it stands desolate and empty.
– In a single day, Morocco sent over 15,000 people to Cueta. But when Spain changed its policy, migration stopped almost entirely, says Jesús Verdú Baeza, a political scientist at the University of Cadiz in Andalusia.
Spain’s agreement with Morocco criticized: “Dangerous for Europe”
In short, Spain’s informal agreement with Morocco is to stop all migrants in Ceuta and Melilla in exchange for Spain investing in Morocco.
Spain must also refrain from criticizing the country’s Western Sahara policy – something that has attracted criticism.
– It is dangerous for Europe. It is not exactly safe to let dictators control our borders, says Jesús Verdú Baeza.
Illargi Mayor is active in the aid organization Caminando Fronteras which focuses on the rights of migrants. Photo: SVT
The flow of migrants is stopped – now taking risky routes
The agreement has caused the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean to Spain to be almost completely stopped. Now instead completely different paths are taken which can be much more dangerous.
– There are much longer routes, which greatly increases the risk of dying at sea or somewhere along the way, says Illargi Mayor, who works to identify those who die on the journey.
Watch the clip: Here is the wall between Spain and Morocco – to stop migrants from reaching the EU.