A Dangerous Journey for African Migrants: Swimming Past Spain’s Border Controls | The World News Radio

For many migrants the European dream has a dark side we don’t see on TikTok. As border fences become impassable, migrants are turning to a desperate new method to reach Spain from Africa: swimming for hours through open, treacherous waters. While social media is flooded with triumphant videos of swimmers in wetsuits celebrating their arrival, the reality on the ground can include debt, violence, and loss.

In this video, The World’s Gerry Hadden talks about going behind the scenes in Ceuta. He spoke with the Red Cross about the bodies washing up on beaches and tracked down El Japony, an Algerian migrant whose viral TikToks hide a harrowing backstory involving loan sharks and a sword-wielding gang.