Today, dozens of migrants gathered on a hilltop in the city of Fnideq overlooking Ceuta, but police prevented them from approaching the enclave.
Moroccan authorities said they arrested at least 60 people last week for using social media to incite migrants to attempt a mass border crossing.
Moroccan security forces have been deployed heavily in Fnideq since Friday.
The head of the Northern Observatory for Human Rights, Mohamed Benaissa, said: “This is the largest security operation that Fnideq has witnessed, and the authorities are working proactively by placing judicial barriers on the roads leading to northern Morocco.”
He added, “Hundreds of people wishing to illegally immigrate were transferred away from Fnideq.”
Moroccan security forces are trying to prevent migration and are patrolling the beach to prevent migrants from swimming to Ceuta, said Zakaria Zerrouki, a human rights activist in Fnideq.
Morocco and Spain have strengthened their cooperation on combating illegal migration since settling a separate diplomatic dispute in 2022.
According to figures from the Ministry of Interior, Morocco prevented 45,015 people from illegally migrating to Europe in the first eight months of this year.
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