Migration & Borders
Ceuta situation almost normal, minister says
The situation in Spain's Ceuta enclave has returned to almost normal, a minister said Saturday, after a surge of migrant crossings from Morocco left at least 67 people dead.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska earlier said at least 67 people had died in the recent crossings. The toll was higher than the earlier figure of at least 34 deaths given during the crisis.
Tens of thousands of people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco, many by swimming around a small frontier post extending into the Mediterranean Sea. Grande-Marlaska said most of the migrants had returned to Morocco by Saturday.
Ceuta's regional president Juan Jesus Vivas had said about 60,000 people entered the Spanish territory, which has about 80,000 residents.
Madrid sent troops to reinforce security in the enclave. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez criticised what he called a “selfish” response by some EU countries in a letter to EU leaders seen by AFP, and called for a meeting of the bloc's interior ministers.
The influx drew reactions from European governments. France announced tighter checks on its border with Spain, while Italy and several European politicians raised the possibility of restricting Spain's participation in the Schengen free-movement area.
Ceuta and nearby Melilla are Spain's two enclaves in North Africa and the European Union's only land borders with Africa.
Update
A minister said the situation in Spain's Ceuta enclave had returned to almost normal.
Source note: AFP news report published on 1 August 2026 at 09:43:30 UTC.
Update
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez denounced what he called the “selfish” attitude of some EU countries in their response to the Ceuta migrant crisis.
Sanchez called for ministerial-level talks among EU interior ministers.
The comments were made in a letter addressed to EU leaders and seen by AFP.
Source note: AFP news report published on 1 August 2026 at 09:15:12 UTC.
Update
Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said at least 67 people died in the recent migrant surge from Morocco to Ceuta.
The minister said most migrants had returned to Morocco by Saturday after tens of thousands crossed the border.
Source note: AFP news report published on 1 August 2026 at 09:29:48 UTC.
Update
Ceuta's regional president said at least 34 people had died trying to enter the enclave.
AFP images showed people swimming around Ceuta's frontier fence and others climbing over barbed wire.
Several would-be migrants said they had rushed to the border after hearing a rumour that it had opened.
An AFP journalist saw burned cars and rocks near Fnideq after clashes.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was due to visit Ceuta on Friday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 12:25:06 UTC.
Update
A Spanish ministry said more than 25,000 migrants had returned to Morocco from Spain's Ceuta enclave.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 11:55:09 UTC.
Update
Ceuta officials said 60,000 people had entered during the recent migrant surge.
AFP journalists saw hundreds of would-be migrants continuing to arrive near the border after the clashes.
AFP saw young Moroccans and a few migrants from sub-Saharan Africa set fire to police cars and taxis during the previous night.
Spanish officials said Rabat and Madrid were negotiating measures to return recent arrivals.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 11:49:17 UTC.
Update
Moroccan security forces used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd.
The crowd near the Ceuta border was described as thousands strong and mainly young men attempting a crossing.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 11:23:57 UTC.
Update
An AFP journalist reported that Moroccan police arrested around 30 people during clashes near Ceuta.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 10:52:57 UTC.
Update
A police source said the influx was predominantly young men and adolescents.
The police source said the 40,000 crossings marked the largest arrival of migrants in Ceuta since 2021.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 08:32:01 UTC.
Update
A police source said around 40,000 migrants had crossed in recent days from Morocco into Spain's Ceuta enclave.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 08:22:25 UTC.
Update
A police source said migrants were still arriving in Ceuta on Friday morning.
The police source said it was impossible to estimate the total number of people who had crossed.
The police source said arrivals continued overnight, though at a lower level than during the day.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 07:37:12 UTC.
Update
Police said thousands of migrants crossed the Morocco-Ceuta border overnight.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 07:21:50 UTC.
Update
Police said 18 migrants died trying to reach Spain's Ceuta exclave from Morocco.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 07:19:54 UTC.
Update
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez planned to visit Ceuta's Tarajal border crossing on Friday with Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
Spain summoned Italy's ambassador after Italy called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen zone.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 07:06:31 UTC.
Update
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller shared video of migrants entering Ceuta and used it to criticise Democrats' immigration policies.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung shared a Fox News clip of Ceuta and linked it to US immigration politics under Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Ceuta president Juan Vivas said the recent arrivals were the most since 2021.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 02:08:45 UTC.
Update
Italy called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen open-borders area over the Ceuta influx.
Spain summoned the Italian envoy to Madrid after the Italian comments.
AFP reporters saw soaked adults and children entering Ceuta and hundreds of people gathered near Fnideq on the Moroccan side of the border.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska was due to travel to Ceuta on Friday to monitor the situation.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 21:24:40 UTC.
Update
A Moroccan official source said Morocco and Spain had agreed to strengthen coordination over the influx into Ceuta.
The same source said the countries had committed to reviewing and implementing measures to repatriate people who entered Ceuta illegally as soon as possible.
An AFP journalist saw hundreds of people converging on Fnideq after rumours that the Bab Sebta border post had opened.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 20:14:31 UTC.
Update
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen zone over the Ceuta arrivals.
Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska was due to travel to Ceuta on Friday to monitor the situation.
Spanish opposition leaders criticised Sanchez over the migrant arrivals.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 20:02:04 UTC.
Update
An AFP journalist saw hundreds of people converging on Fnideq on Thursday evening after rumours that the border with Ceuta had opened.
Several people on the road told AFP they wanted to reach Ceuta, including a young man from Tangier who said he had heard the border had opened.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 19:48:25 UTC.
Update
An AFP journalist observed hundreds of people in Morocco heading for Spain's Ceuta.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 19:31:15 UTC.
Update
The influx was described as the largest into Ceuta since May 2021, when more than 10,000 migrants entered in two days.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain was mobilising resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities and preparing measures to restore normality.
Moroccan authorities did not comment, while opposition Spanish politicians criticised the government over the arrivals.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 18:44:43 UTC.
Update
Spain said nine migrants died while trying to reach Ceuta.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 18:25:09 UTC.
Update
Spain said the Civil Guard's strength in Ceuta would be nearly doubled from the current level of 80.
Spain said it would also send diving teams and coastguard ships.
City authorities said the arrivals had created a humanitarian emergency that left one person dead.
The source says hundreds entered Ceuta on Thursday, joining 1,500 who had arrived in recent days.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 18:04:54 UTC.
Update
Spain said it will send troops to Ceuta after hundreds of migrants arrived.
Spain's Interior Ministry said the armed forces will reinforce the Civil Guard to maintain security in Ceuta.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 17:51:42 UTC.
Update
AFP reporters saw hundreds of migrants, including adults and children, entering Ceuta on Thursday, many wet after apparently swimming around the frontier fence.
Hundreds of people, including children, were seen gathering on the Moroccan side near Fnideq, with some saying they had heard rumours the border would open.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government was mobilising resources and working with Moroccan and international authorities.
Spain's interior ministry said measures would be implemented to transfer to Morocco people who entered Ceuta illegally as soon as possible.
Spanish opposition leaders criticised Sanchez over the arrivals.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 15:14:26 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The minister who said the situation had returned to almost normal was not named in the supplied update.
The precise current number of people still in Ceuta after the crossings is not specified.
Source
AFP news report published on .