Chapter 2: The Walled City

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🗓️ 22 January 2023

⏱️ 19 minutes

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Summary

Every year, thousands of migrants arrive at the northern end of the African continent. Many have traveled for years, through jungle, farmland and the vast Sahara desert, hoping to cross into Europe, where they believe a better future awaits.

Last week on Up First Sunday, we told the story of Senegalese migrants embarking on the dangerous journey to Europe by sea. This week, we consider a different kind of crossing. In North Africa, Spain controls two small cities: Ceuta and Melilla. If migrants can scale the heavily fortified border fences surrounding these enclave cities, they will officially be on European soil.

We check in with Ari Shapiro, the co-host of NPR's All Things Considered, as he explores the realities facing migrants just outside of the walled city of Melilla–in Nador, Morocco.

This is the second episode from our series following the connections between climate change, migration and rising political extremism. Chapter 3 publishes next Sunday.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Okay, Ari, are you there? Can you hear me?
0:04.9	I'm here. I hear you. Loud and clear, Rachel.
0:08.1	This is up for Sunday. I'm Rachel Martin. And today we pick up our story about the people
0:12.6	migrating from the African continent to Europe with the host of all things considered Ari Shapiro.
0:17.6	Okay. Okay. The last time I talked to you, I was on the western edge of the African continent.
0:22.8	Back in October, Ari and his team started their journey in the coastal city of San Luis
0:27.6	in Senegal, a point of departure for Senegalese migrants trying to reach Europe by sea.
0:33.2	This is the second episode in a series we're doing about Ari's reporting trip, following
0:37.3	the connections between climate change, migration and rising political extremism. When Ari
0:42.9	was about halfway through his trip, I checked in with him again a couple days after he and
0:47.0	his team had made it to the far north of the African continent.
0:50.5	Now I am in a city called Melia, which is surrounded on three sides by Morocco, but
0:57.1	Melia is what's called a Spanish enclave city. It is part of Spain, but it is on the African
1:03.9	continent. Melia overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. And on the other side of the sea is the
1:09.1	European mainland, about 120 mile ferry right away. And for thousands of migrants who have
1:14.8	traveled from as far away as South Sudan and Ethiopia, this is a crucial way station. The
1:20.8	most important border that they may need to cross, because if they can get into Melia,
1:25.7	they are officially on Spanish soil. However, that's not easy.
1:29.7	There are 20-foot tall fences, four layers deep guarded by authorities with heavy guns.
1:38.4	It is serious. And that's all paid for by the European Union.
1:43.0	And the Moroccan government enforces that border because it gives them political leverage.
1:47.4	Like they can say to Europe, all right, you want to keep these migrants out, then you
	...

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