page_title: Melilla
section_title: Immigration
hierarchical_section_title: Melilla / Immigration
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Grenze Spanien-Marokko, bei Melilla English: Border Spain-Morocco, by Melilla Español: Frontera España-Marruecos, por Melilla Euskara: Espainia eta Maroko arteko muga, Melillan Русский: Испания, Мелилья. Стена, построенная для защиты от нелегальных иммигрантов из Марокко
context_page_description: Melilla is a Spanish autonomous city located on the northwest coast of Africa, sharing a border with Morocco. It has an area of 12.3 km². Melilla is one of two permanently inhabited Spanish cities in mainland Africa, the other being nearby Ceuta. It was part of the Province of Málaga until 14 March 1995, when the city's Statute of Autonomy was passed.
  Melilla is one of the special territories of the European Union.
  As of 2019, Melilla had a population of 86,487. The population is chiefly divided between people of Iberian and Riffian extraction. There is also a small number of Sephardic Jews and Sindhi Hindus. Spanish and Riffian-Berber are the two most widely spoken languages, the former being the official language.
  Melilla, just like Ceuta and other Spain's remaining territories in Africa, is subject to an irredentist claim by Morocco.
context_section_description: Melilla has been a popular destination for migrants in order to enter the European Union. The border is secured by the Melilla border fence, a six-metre-tall double fence with watch towers; yet migrants (in groups of tens or sometimes hundreds) storm the fence and manage to cross it from time to time. Detection wires, radar, and day/night vision cameras are planned to increase security and prevent illegal immigration.  In February 2014, over 200 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa scaled a security fence to get into the Melilla migrant reception centre. The reception centre, built for 480 migrants, was already overcrowded with 1,300 people.
  In recent years, the Spanish government has urged Moroccan security forces to stem the flow of migrants traveling towards Melilla. In 2015, Moroccan police dispersed migrant camps in the forests surrounding Melilla by torching makeshift homes and arresting migrants. Since the 2014 incident, Spain has installed additional security measures, including increased fencing, camera surveillance systems, and a more salient troop presence. Attempted border crossings by migrants has decreased at both Melilla and Ceuta since its peak in 2015–2016; arrivals are down twenty-five percent since 2018. However, attempts by migrants to swarm the security fences at Melilla have been widely broadcast by Spanish media sources, creating a sense of urgency in mainland Spain. This fear over African migrants is seen by many as the main factor leading to the rise of Vox, Spain's populist party. Vox officials have frequently pointed to the immigration situation at Melilla and Ceuta proof of a crisis at Spain's border.
caption: The Melilla border fence aims to curb irregular immigration into Spain.
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