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Dozens died trying to cross this fence into Europe in June. This man survived

Steven Khon Khon, of South Sudan, stands on the Spanish side of a four-layered fence dividing Nador, Morocco from Melilla, Spain on October 11. On June 24, Khon Khon and many others trying to get to Europe charged the fence. They were beaten back by Moroccan authorities. Dozens were killed. Khon Khon made it to Spain that day, but his brother remained stuck in Morocco.
Ricci Shryock for NPR
Steven Khon Khon, of South Sudan, stands on the Spanish side of a four-layered fence dividing Nador, Morocco from Melilla, Spain on October 11. On June 24, Khon Khon and many others trying to get to Europe charged the fence. They were beaten back by Moroccan authorities. Dozens were killed. Khon Khon made it to Spain that day, but his brother remained stuck in Morocco.

To visit a popular transit point into Spain, you have to go to Africa. There, you will find Melilla, a city perched on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

Migrants spend years trying to get there.

This has provoked severe border restrictions by Spanish officials.

"Melilla today is like a bunker. It's like living in an island," says Irene Flores, a longtime Spanish journalist in Melilla.

The Spanish enclave city has changed in the last few decades, making it all the more difficult for people like Steven Khon Khon to enter

Listen to our full report by clicking or tapping the play button above.

Mallika Seshadri contributed to this report. contributed to this story

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Ayen Bior
Ayen Deng Bior is a producer at NPR's flagship evening news program, All Things Considered. She helps shape the sound of the daily shows by contributing story ideas, writing scripts and cutting tape. Her work at NPR has taken her to Warsaw, Poland, where she heard from refugees displaced by the war in Ukraine. She has spoken to people in Saint-Louis, Senegal, who are grappling with rising seas. Before NPR, Bior wore many hats at the Voice of America's English to Africa service where she worked in radio, television and digital. Bior began her career reporting on the revolution in Sudan, the developing state of affairs in South Sudan and the experiences of women behind the headlines in both countries. In her spare time, Bior loves to kayak, read and bird watch.
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Ricci Shryock