Spain announced on Thursday that it would deploy military personnel to its North African enclave of Ceuta to bolster security after hundreds of migrants arrived by sea, some swimming around the border fence to reach Spanish territory. The move comes as the enclave's regional president, Juan Jesús Vivas, urged the government in Madrid to declare a national emergency and take direct control of the crisis, warning that local services were under severe strain.
Vivas, who leads the autonomous city's administration, also requested additional resources and funding, describing the situation as unsustainable. The Interior Ministry initially ruled out a national emergency declaration, stating that Spain's civil protection regulations do not classify migration flows as a risk covered by the National Civil Protection System.
Madrid and Rabat agree on fast-track returns
Earlier on Thursday, Spain and Morocco reached an agreement for the urgent return of migrants who crossed into Ceuta. Thousands of people entered the enclave from Morocco, using inflatable devices or swimming to reach Tarajal beach, overwhelming Civil Guard officers stationed there. Left behind on the sand were flippers, flotation devices, and wetsuits — remnants of the crossings. Most of those arriving are young men, though women and children have also been among the recent arrivals.
Vivas estimates that the daily average of sea arrivals has reached around 300 and continues to rise. Over the past 12 months, more than 60 people have died attempting the crossing. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that his government is "fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta" and that he would work with Moroccan authorities to "restore normalcy as soon as possible."
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska is expected to travel to Ceuta to meet local officials and assess the situation firsthand. The Interior Ministry has also suggested that human trafficking networks may be exploiting a recent court ruling to encourage the arrival of undocumented migrants. The ruling states that people who enter by swimming, without breaching any physical barrier of the border fence, do not meet the legal requirements for immediate rejection at the border without an individual case being opened. As a result, many of those crossing through Tarajal cannot be immediately returned.
This legal nuance has created a loophole that traffickers are reportedly using to push more people toward the enclave. The situation echoes previous surges in arrivals, as Ceuta has been overwhelmed before by similar mass crossings.
Morocco blames criminal organisations
Morocco's embassy in Madrid blamed the mass arrivals on criminal organisations involved in human trafficking and the illegal smuggling of migrants, describing cooperation with Spain on migration as exemplary. Moroccan diplomatic sources insisted that the recent attempts at irregular entry do not reflect any intention on the part of the authorities in Rabat to facilitate these movements.
However, Civil Guard sources in Ceuta have questioned the extent of that cooperation. They say assistance from the Moroccan Gendarmerie on the ground has been limited and insufficient to contain the pressure at the border, despite the Spanish government's claim that active cooperation from Morocco is taking place.
Spain and Morocco agreed on Thursday to step up coordination between the two countries and review procedures in order to speed up, as much as possible, the return of people who have entered Ceuta illegally. For now, no specific timetable has been set for implementing these measures.
The deployment of troops and the bilateral agreement underscore the ongoing challenges faced by European border enclaves in North Africa. Ceuta and its sister enclave Melilla have long been flashpoints for migration into the European Union, with periodic surges testing the capacity of Spanish authorities and the cooperation of Moroccan security forces. The situation also highlights broader European migration dynamics, as similar pressures are seen elsewhere, such as deadly Channel crossings that continue to claim lives.
