Tourists enjoying the sun on a beach in Southern Spain on Sunday quickly sprang into action to tackle and detain a group of illegal migrants that landed on the shores after reportedly crossing the sea from Morocco.
A sleepy summer day on the Sotillo Beach in the Grenadian coastal town of Castell de Ferro was disrupted on Sunday as around 13 migrants attempted to break into Spain illegally after arriving on a small wooden boat.
However, as they jumped from their craft and began wading to shore, a group of beachgoers quickly organised an effective citizen’s arrest, tackling the migrants and holding them in place until local police and civil guard officers could arrive and arrest the young migrant men.
Speaking to the local Ideal newspaper, the owner of a nearby restaurant said: “We all stood there staring, not quite knowing what was happening. We thought it was a recreational boat, but when we saw people starting to throw objects into the water and getting out, we realized it wasn’t normal.”
“What surprised us most was that the boat was moving very slowly, as if they weren’t in a hurry or afraid. They went in where there were more people, as if nothing had happened, and stopped five meters from the shore. Then they jumped out one by one, and the four remaining on board, some of them hooded, calmly turned around and left,” he added.
The restaurateur said that the “same thing happened” last June at the beach. However, he noted that last year they were able to enter unobstructed. “This time, at least, there was more of a reaction,” he said.
Another local business owner said that at the time of their arrival, the beach was “packed” and that it was “peak time of day, with families, children, everyone relaxing.”
The Castell de Ferro local police said that they detained nine illegals, including one who was later caught on the streets of the town. Ideal reported that the aliens are believed to have crossed the Alboran Sea — the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean — from Morocco, a major launching point for illegals seeking to break into Spain.
The local paper said that the nine detained migrants are now being held in the Temporary Foreigner Assistance Center (CATE) at the nearby port of Motril.
Spain, like other Mediterranean European nations such as Italy, has been actively coordinating with African governments, including Morocco, over the past year in an attempt to reduce illegal migration. According to InfoMigrants, the number of illegal arrivals on Spain’s Canary Islands has decreased from over 19,000 in July last year to around 11,000 in the same period this year.
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