The ongoing turmoil in Ceuta has plunged Spain's leftist minority government in Madrid into a significant crisis. Just weeks after a massive influx of migrants from Morocco, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has decided to take decisive action upon his return from summer vacation in the North African enclave. Following accusations from the conservative leader of Ceuta that Madrid had "abandoned" the city, the central government has abruptly shifted its strategy and assumed control of the situation.
For weeks, government ministers in Madrid appeared to be under the impression that the remaining migrants would return home on their own, similar to the more than 70,000 individuals who swam to Spain at the end of July and later voluntarily returned to Morocco. However, the National Security Council convened an emergency meeting and declared a "situation of national security interest" in Ceuta. Following a cabinet decision, Territorial Minister Ángel Víctor Torres has been tasked with managing the crisis, supported by a committee comprising eleven ministers and representatives from the Ceuta regional government, with the aim of restoring "full normalcy" as swiftly as possible.
This consolidation of command had been demanded by the President of Ceuta and the conservative People's Party (PP) since the end of July. On Tuesday evening, hundreds of protesters in Ceuta accused the Madrid government of having "abandoned" their city. Defense Minister Robles acknowledged in a parliamentary committee that there had been shortcomings and extended apologies to everyone in Ceuta who may have felt "abandoned or inadequately supported." The government expressed solidarity with the people of Ceuta, stating that they share in their suffering. In a communication offensive, six other ministers are set to address Parliament by Monday, while Sánchez is expected to follow on September 3.
Immigration: A Key Issue for Upcoming Elections
Amid the ongoing loss of control in Ceuta, internal political pressure is mounting on Sánchez's leftist minority government, which has made its liberal immigration policy a hallmark of its administration. With the ongoing mass legalization efforts, the government is focusing on integration rather than isolation. According to the newspaper El País, "immigration will be the decisive issue for winning the next elections," which must take place by summer 2027.
The opposition PP has accused the government of failing in its immigration and security policies in light of the "invasion" in Ceuta. They are calling for stricter border controls while seeking to complicate the legalization process for foreigners in Spain. The migration crisis in Ceuta has led to a surge in xenophobic hate messages online, according to the state monitoring center for racism and xenophobia, with more than 3,000 reported daily.
New government coordinator Torres stated that repatriating migrants from Morocco is a top priority for the administration. The PP demands that all migrants return, including unaccompanied minors and potential asylum seekers. Torres dismissed this demand as populist, arguing that such actions are not feasible under current law.
Uncertain Migrant Figures in Ceuta
To date, the central government has been unable to provide reliable figures on how many migrants, minors, and asylum seekers are currently in Ceuta since the end of July. The regional government estimates that approximately 10,000 individuals are in the city, which has a population of 84,000. In Madrid, officials emphasize that 90 to 95 percent of the more than 70,000 individuals who arrived in Ceuta have since voluntarily returned to Morocco.
According to Minister Torres, around 1,400 minors have been registered. However, Economic Minister Carlos Cuerpo noted that 2,900 children and adolescents have already been identified. Approximately 1,800 adults have been accommodated in two army tent camps since Friday, and around 4,000 individuals are receiving humanitarian assistance, which is becoming increasingly crucial due to the emergence of cases of scabies and tuberculosis.
A collective expulsion is legally impossible without individual case assessments. However, authorities are currently ill-equipped to manage the thousands of cases and have not yet been able to bring people off the streets. Several sports stadiums are being repurposed to assist with this task. In the case of minors, age verification must often be medically determined, followed by the creation of detailed individual reports. Before any transfer back to Morocco, guardians must be verified, and another report must confirm that they pose no danger to the minors, nor do they face persecution that could qualify as asylum grounds.
According to the latest available figures from the Public Prosecutor's Office, more than 16,000 unaccompanied minors were residing in Spain at the end of 2024. Four were repatriated to Colombia, three to Romania, and one to France—none have been returned to Morocco since 2021. After the last major influx into Ceuta five years ago, several hundred minors were sent back to Morocco, a move that the Supreme Court later ruled as illegal.
As reported by faz.net.
