Many migrants have been turning to smugglers to get through the Balkan countries since the traditional refugee route into Western Europe closed in March. Along with Ceuta, another Spanish enclave surrounded by Morocco, Melilla is often the scene of desperate migrant arrivals from regions south of the Sahara desert. The Spanish government reinforced its border patrols in 2016, after thousands were able to reach European soil in previous years, either by swimming along the coast to the enclaves or by climbing the border fence.