Throughout Thursday night and till Friday morning few large groups of migrants tried to cross the high fence along the border in different places.
In order to bolster border security, extra Spanish Guardia Civil law enforcers and Moroccan security forces took part in an operation with helicopters circling in the area. As a result, none of the attempts to cross the border ended successfully.
On December 30, 2014, a total of 150 to 200 people, mostly from Mali, attempted to cross the Melilla border. Those who successfully scaled the fence and managed to reach Spain were brought to a temporary holding center for migrants.
Earlier the same month, the Spanish parliament approved a public security bill, which allows the country to expel migrants who illegally entered the country without considering their asylum bids. The bill has faced criticism from Human Rights Watch, the United Nations and the European Commission, which all pointed to its anti-democratic nature.
