Tens of thousands of migrants voluntarily leave after crossing into
Spanish territory of Ceuta
[August 01, 2026]
By SERGIO RODRIGO RUÍZ, RENATA BRITO and SUMAN NAISHADHAM
CEUTA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of migrants who crossed into
Spain’s tiny Ceuta territory returned voluntarily to Morocco on Friday,
a day after the influx triggered chaos in the North African city and
reignited the immigration debate in Europe and beyond. At least 57
migrants died on the journey.
Ceuta’s president put the number of migrants at 60,000, which was
equivalent to 70% of the territory's population. But most of them soon
went back, the Spanish government said, after the sudden arrival of so
many people sparked a humanitarian crisis.
Some migrants swam several miles through the sea and faced down
authorities who tried to turn them back with water cannons, tear gas and
warning shots. Those who died included some who drowned or were killed
in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier near a border checkpoint.
Spain deployed its armed forces and additional police to restore order
in Ceuta, which sits on the Strait of Gibraltar at the entrance to the
Mediterranean Sea and has been a Spanish possession since 1580. On the
Moroccan side of the border, security forces clashed with migrants. The
chaos also had ripple effects abroad, with Italy and France pledging to
tighten their controls on people arriving from Spain.
“The situation that Ceuta is going through is absolutely unsustainable,”
Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas told journalists.
Meanwhile, migrants from Morocco also attempted to cross into Melilla,
Spain’s other territory at the tip of North Africa, where they clashed
with police.
Spanish prime minister condemns border breach
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Ceuta on Friday and
condemned the border breach, which he described as “a violation of
Spain's territorial integrity.”
Sánchez blamed human smugglers for the crisis, saying they “deceive so
many young people and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths,”
whether in the ocean or in the city.
The Spanish Interior Ministry released its own figures shortly after
Vivas spoke, estimating that some 50,000 people had crossed from Morocco
since Thursday. It added that 48,300 had already returned to Morocco by
Friday evening, with hundreds more going back by the hour.
Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil
Guard officers, described the situation as a “serious humanitarian
crisis,” saying thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children,
were left sleeping in parks and on sidewalks, while others roamed the
streets aimlessly.
“It’s chaotic,” Sbihi said.
The Moroccan Interior Ministry did not respond to a request for comment
on the migrant figures released by the Spanish authorities.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the images from
Ceuta were “unacceptable.”
“We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our
rules,” she said Friday in an online statement. “Dangerous crossings
must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And
returns must be swift, as our rules allow.”
Dozens died in the chaos
Some of the 57 people who died had drowned, Sbihi said, but some were
also killed in a stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal
Beach, an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco. The waters
near the border fence were littered with buoys, shoes and other
abandoned belongings.
Many young Moroccans who crossed into Ceuta told The Associated Press
that they had hoped to find better work opportunities in Spain but were
returning given the mayhem in Ceuta.
“There’s nothing at home. I’d have to work 12-hour shifts for a meager
wage. That’s why I came here,” said 21-year-old Abdulah Buji, who hails
from the city of Tetouan. “But I haven’t found any opportunities here
either, so I have to go back.”
Moroccan police used water cannons and fired warning shots into the air
to prevent migrants from crossing into Ceuta, according to rights groups
in Morocco.
Morocco’s ambassador to Spain said the situation in Ceuta had unfolded
against Morocco’s wishes.
“We have always prioritized legal, orderly and safe migration for all,”
Karima Benyaich said. She did not comment on what prompted the migrants
to cross into Ceuta.
[to top of second column]
|
Migrants rest outside the Temporary Center for Immigrants (CETI)
after crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta,
Friday, July 31, 2026. CETI is the Spanish acronym for the migrant
reception center. (AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)
To reach Ceuta, on the northern African coast, migrants often swim
from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about 3 miles (5
kilometers) to reach Spanish territory. Others attempt the crossing
from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.
Authorities in Ceuta and Madrid have linked the border surge to a
recent decision by the Spanish Supreme Court, which ruled that
migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported, unlike
those who cross by land or climb the border fence.
Sánchez said migrant smugglers misinterpreted the ruling.
The interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling “spread like
wildfire over the past few hours through the networks of human
trafficking organizations,” triggering the surge, Sánchez said.
Spain has bucked anti-immigration trend
Sánchez has bucked the anti-migration trend that has gained ground
across Europe and in the U.S.
Earlier this year, his government moved to give residency and work
permits to hundreds of thousands of migrants already living in the
country without permission.
Sánchez, a Socialist, argued that it would be good for the economy
and the demographics of an aging Spain. Migrants who entered
irregularly after Jan. 1 this year were not included.
His critics jumped at the opportunity to attack his policy, saying
it encouraged more migrants to come.
“Sánchez allows Spain to be invaded through Ceuta,” Spanish
conservative politician Isabel Díaz Ayuso wrote on X.
The U.S. expressed its support for “the people of Spain, and all
Europeans, against this egregious violation of their sovereignty and
human rights.”
In a post on X, the State Department added that “this unacceptable
incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government’s deliberate
efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into
Europe.”
Sánchez on Friday defended his migration policy and distanced it
from the events in Ceuta.
In the tumult, Italy temporarily suspended its open-border Schengen
agreement with Spain, reimposing border controls for air and sea.
The Interior Ministry said the decision amounted to a “closure” of
the borders, but experts said it was merely a resumption of border
controls. The agreement allows travelers to fly between the two
countries without presenting passports.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said France would also
strengthen border checks with Spain.
The crisis in Ceuta “has nothing to do with the regularization of
migrants adopted by the Government of Spain, as is being falsely
claimed by some,” the Spanish government said in a statement late
Thursday after Meloni's announcement.
Pressure grows on second Spanish territory in Africa
Migrants from Morocco also attempted to cross into Melilla, the
other Spanish territory at the tip of North Africa.
There was widespread chaos in Bni Nsar, the Moroccan town bordering
the Spanish territory, where migrants clashed with police, throwing
rocks and setting police vehicles ablaze, according to local media
and rights groups. They reported injuries among security forces and
the arrest of dozens of people attempting to cross.
Like Ceuta, Melilla is a self-governing Spanish city. Many Moroccans
consider both cities to be occupied territory.
___
Naishadham reported from Madrid. Brito reported from Barcelona,
Spain. Associated Press journalists Joseph Wilson in Barcelona,
Spain; Akram Oubachir in Casablanca, Morocco; and Antonio Sempere in
Ceuta, Spain, contributed.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
