According to reports from AP and EFE, a significant number of Moroccan migrants who crossed into Spain have begun returning from the border city of Ceuta, following a new agreement between Spain and Morocco for their immediate repatriation. This decision comes in the wake of severe shortages of basic supplies and humanitarian assistance for the migrants, as confirmed by police sources. On Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the massive influx of migrants, labeling it an “attack” and a “violation of Spain's territorial integrity,” which he attributed to human trafficking networks.
Meanwhile, the crisis has been leveraged by the Trump administration in the United States as a rallying point for electoral support ahead of the midterm elections. Trump warned, without providing any evidence, that if Democrats regain control of Congress, the U.S. could face a similar migration crisis. He took to social media to express his concerns, equating the situation in Spain with the migration challenges faced by the U.S. during Joe Biden's presidency and predicting that the situation could deteriorate further if Democrats were to regain power.
Since last Thursday, approximately 50,000 migrants have illegally entered Ceuta, a city located in North Africa, according to estimates from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. Of these, nearly 40,000 have chosen to return voluntarily after facing days without access to basic necessities. Tragically, the recent crossings have resulted in the deaths of at least 67 individuals, with their bodies recovered along the coast of Ceuta, as reported by local authorities. The Civil Guard is conducting ongoing searches to locate additional bodies near the Tarajal border area, where thousands have crossed into Ceuta by swimming since Thursday. This recent spike in fatalities raises the total number of migrants who have lost their lives attempting to swim into this Spanish city to 99 in 2026.
Moroccan migrants are motivated by the pursuit of better opportunities in Europe, driven by a lack of prospects in their home country. Abdulah Buji, a 21-year-old aspiring teacher, expressed his desire for a chance to build a future in Spain, stating, "Spain gives you the opportunity to build your future, unlike Morocco." However, upon arrival in Ceuta, he quickly realized that his dreams were still far from reach. The allure of continental Europe lay just across the Mediterranean Sea, but both he and the newly arrived migrants found themselves unwelcome there. In light of the migration crisis, local businesses and bars in Ceuta closed their doors, leaving migrants without shelter or food.
Buji shared his harrowing experience of almost becoming another statistic in the list of those who died attempting the perilous swim to reach Ceuta. Although he successfully crossed, he lost his belongings and money during the journey. Faced with the prospect of legal limbo and potential detention, he ultimately made the difficult decision to turn back.
In response to the ongoing crisis, both the military and police in the autonomous city of Ceuta are conducting operations in areas where illegal migrant settlements have been identified. The military is instructing migrants that they must approach the border and have been clear that their situations will not be regularized. Juan Jesús Vivas, the conservative president of Ceuta, warned that the city has yet to return to normalcy due to the continued presence of “thousands of individuals” on the streets, asserting that the crisis remains unresolved. He called on Prime Minister Sánchez’s government for a “firm, decisive, and immediate” response, urging the use of all legal and operational tools available to the state.
As reports and videos of migrants arriving in Ceuta spread across social media, more individuals are flocking north in hopes of reaching EU territory. Train stations in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, and Casablanca, the country's largest city, have become overcrowded with those attempting to travel to the Ceuta border. Local media showed police officers preventing some from boarding trains and buses. It remains unclear what specifically triggered this surge, but social media was flooded with posts encouraging Moroccans to attempt entry into Ceuta just days before the mass migration began. Myriam Cherti, a senior researcher at the University of Oxford’s Centre on Migration, Policy and Society, noted that these posts included practical advice on how to cross the border and what to say to increase the likelihood of being allowed to stay.
Cherti highlighted that many migrants she interviewed over the past year had lost count of how many times they had tried to cross the border. "They do it out of desperation, because they have tried other ways to build a life and have failed, and they feel the obligation to support their families," she explained. "And that’s possible if they manage to reach Spain, but not necessarily if they remain in Morocco." In the United States, recent comments from politicians regarding the migration crisis have reignited tensions with the socialist government of Pedro Sánchez, particularly concerning Spain's defense spending as a NATO member and its refusal to allow the U.S. military to use joint bases for operations related to Iran. Republican Representative Mario Díaz Balart (Florida) remarked that Ceuta and Melilla are “not in Spain but in Morocco” and that the crisis should be discussed among “friends and allies.” His statements reflect a shift in how some U.S. officials refer to these Spanish enclaves in North Africa, suggesting that their status warrants discussion.
As reported by telemundo.com.
