Authorities in Spain say around 1,000 Moroccan migrants have crossed into Spanish territory

MADRID (AP) — Around 1,000 Moroccans, 300 of whom are presumed to be minors, crossed into a Spanish northern African enclave on Monday, authorities said. A spokesman with the Spanish government’s delegation in Ceuta said that the Moroccans swam or boarded inflatable boats Monday to get around breakwaters that go several meters into the Mediterranean Sea from the land border with Morocco. Ceuta and nearby Melilla, another Spanish territory, are seen as a stepping stone into Europe by hundreds of African migrants who every year risk injuries or death while trying to jump over fences, hide inside vehicles or by swimming around breakwaters that extend into the Mediterranean.