Who is to blame for 60,000 migrants entering Spain’s Ceuta?
On July 30, the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta collapsed, allowing tens of thousands of illegal immigrants into the city within twenty-four hours. Estimates reach as high as 60,000 arrivals.
According to Chatham House, many in Spain hold the Moroccan government responsible. Morocco has not admitted to using migration as political leverage. Moroccan sources instead blamed criminal organisations. However, critics note that migrant surges into Ceuta and Melilla frequently align with diplomatic tensions between Rabat and Madrid.
A similar surge occurred in May 2021. That incident followed Spain’s decision to provide medical treatment to the leader of the Polisario Front. Madrid subsequently changed its historic position on Western Sahara. It endorsed Morocco’s autonomy plan for the territory. The current surge arrives shortly after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Algiers on July 20. That visit aimed to repair ties damaged by Spain’s shift on Western Sahara.
The crisis quickly triggered friction across Europe. Italy unilaterally closed its sea and air borders with Spain. Some European governments suggested suspending the Schengen free-travel agreement. Others called for Spain’s removal from the pact. Finland’s interior minister endorsed the Italian stance.
The timing places intense domestic pressure on Sánchez. Spain’s general election must take place by August 2027. The government’s parliamentary majority is already fragile. Hard-right and anti-immigration parties are gaining momentum in regional polling.
Sánchez recently launched a controversial regularisation scheme for undocumented migrants. The graphic images from Ceuta threaten to push immigration ahead of the economy as the main election issue. Opposition leaders like Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Santiago Abascal condemned the government’s handling of the situation. International figures have also seized on the event to criticise European border policies.
Experts argue that the European Union must treat this as a shared regional challenge. Viewing it merely as a Spanish failure only weakens European unity. Sánchez now faces the difficult task of convincing domestic voters and international allies that a collective response is essential.
Chatham House, BBC, Maghrebi.org
Want to chase the pulse of North Africa?
Subscribe to receive our FREE weekly PDF magazine
