Spain’s king and queen to visit Ceuta as territory grapples with protracted migration crisis

CEUTA, Spain (AP) — King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will make their first visit to Ceuta on Tuesday in a show of solidarity with residents of the Spanish city in North Africa as they grapple with a migration crisis that has strained relations with Morocco.

The royal couple will then travel to Melilla, Spain’s other North African exclave, on Wednesday. It will be the first visit by a Spanish monarch to the two cities since Felipe’s father, Juan Carlos I, toured them in 2007.

Their visit comes after about 80,000 migrants crossed Ceuta’s border in July, with more than 140 people dying.

While most of the people who pushed across the frontier quickly returned, thousands still remain in the Spanish city of 84,000 residents perched on the Mediterranean Sea. It’s unknown how many remain, though the mayor has estimated that there are still as many as 15,000.

Their presence has become a source of social tension in Ceuta and a political issue across Spain, where opposition parties hope to use migration concerns to unseat the progressive government in elections next month.

During a recent visit to Ceuta, the AP found many underage migrants still living on the streets.

Some migrants have also come forward with abuse allegations, which the Spanish government is investigating following the publication of an Amnesty International report that detailed allegations of mistreatment and torture by Spanish soldiers. One migrant told the AP that soldiers beat him so badly that he needed staples in his head for his injuries.

Residents of the city, meanwhile, have felt abandoned by national authorities, as the crisis remains visible on their streets.

The official royal agenda says that the king and queen will “show the support of the Crown for Ceuta’s institutions and society.”

The royals will meet with local officials, make a public appearance in a central square and visit a school located “in a multicultural setting that respects different religions.”

Ceuta had been a place of religious coexistence, but the AP has found that the border crisis has exposed its Christian-Muslim fault lines.

The royals will also visit a cemetery to show their respects to the people who died in the attempted crossings on July 30 and 31. Dozens of unidentified migrants who died in the crossing were buried there.

The border fences separating Ceuta and Melilla are under constant pressure by migrants both from Morocco and sub-Saharan countries who see the Spanish cities as a key step toward their ultimate hope of making it to mainland Europe.

Morocco does not recognize Spain’s sovereign claim on the specks of land that have been under Spanish control for centuries, and diplomatic watchers in Spain will be keen to see if Morocco reacts to Felipe’s visit.

While Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has defended Morocco’s role in helping resolve the crisis, many in Spain have questioned if Rabat could have done more to impede the mass crossing.