Key moments
- The Government raises the death toll to 75 during the massive entry in Ceuta
- The Government announces a 25 million euro fund to care for minors in Ceuta
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaska, has stated that all European partners have recognized the Government’s “effective” management of the Ceuta crisis, when tens of thousands of people – 72,000 according to the minister, of whom 70,000 have returned – entered the city en masse. The minister reported on the extraordinary Interior Council meeting held this Tuesday following the events in Ceuta. He also expressed his absolute “confidence and recognition” of the work of the intelligence services but denied that there was “any report or warning that anything similar” to what happened in Ceuta could occur. In the meeting, member countries committed to improving detection and alert systems in the EU after the Ceuta avalanche and showed their “strong solidarity” with Spain for what happened, according to the Commission’s summary. Meanwhile, the Government has announced that it will allocate an extraordinary fund of 25 million so that Ceuta can care for unaccompanied minors in the city. Additionally, the Government has raised the death toll from the avalanche to 75. On the other side, the PP intends to attack the Government over the Ceuta crisis from all fronts. Now it looks to Europe and seeks for the European Parliament to discuss the massive entry of 60,000 people in Ceuta after the holidays, on September 14, to keep the issue alive.
Read more A ground services strike causes cancellations of flights from Barcelona airport
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Brussels believes that the regularization of immigrants “is not a good sign for Europe,” but dissociates it from the Ceuta crisis
The European Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Brunner, stated this Tuesday that during the meeting of EU Interior Ministers this morning, no criticisms were made against Spain for its recent regularization of immigrants, because “there is no direct link between the regularization and the incidents in Ceuta” this past weekend. However, he considers that the measure taken by the Spanish Government “is not a good sign for the rest of Europe.” Asked if the Spanish minister in charge, Fernando Grande Marlaska, had received criticism for this process, which nearly one million immigrants have benefited from, Brunner denied that it was addressed this Tuesday and, therefore, Spain was not criticized. “But, definitely, it is not a good sign for Europe,” said Brunner, although he understands that it is a sovereign decision of Spain mainly aimed at Spanish-speaking Latin American immigrants.
migration crisis
Marlaska insists that the CNI did not warn of a massive arrival of migrants in Ceuta
Neither the National Intelligence Center (CNI) nor any other intelligence service, Spanish or foreign. The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, reiterated this Tuesday that the Government did not receive any report or alert that tens of thousands of migrants would swim across the El Tarajal border in Ceuta last Thursday. In a press conference after the meeting with EU Interior Ministers, Grande-Marlaska insisted that there were alerts those days that, as usual in summer, there could be “an increase, a rise” in sea crossings, and that on this occasion they could be “encouraged” by the Supreme Court ruling that prohibited hot returns of those who entered swimming in the autonomous cities.
You can read the full information here
Brussels points to mafias and misinformation on social networks as the cause of the Ceuta crisis
The European Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Brunner, stated this Tuesday that the massive entry of immigrants in Ceuta last week was driven “by criminal smuggling networks [of people] and misinformation on social networks.” In his appearance after the meeting of EU Interior Ministers, he said the EU has offered help to Spain, including emergency funding, to strengthen border protection in the autonomous city.
The EU says the “integrity of the Schengen area was preserved” thanks to cooperation with Spain, but notes it “put them to the test”
European Commissioner Magnus Brunner appeared before the press in Brussels after a meeting of the Interior Ministers of the European Union following the situation in Ceuta. He highlighted that: “The integrity of the Schengen area was preserved, and that is the result of sustained cooperation between Spain, Morocco, and the Commission over the past few days.”
“This week has tested us, both in terms of speed on one hand, but also in solidarity on the other,” Brunner indicated before adding that the “test” also involved “resilience to misinformation.”
Brunner noted that the EU has offered support to Spain “both financial and operational,” including “emergency financial assistance to strengthen the protection of the external border (…) as well as supporting returns and also preventing movements towards the European Union.”
Marlaska says Morocco sees Spain as “a strong and reliable partner”
The Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska has stated that Morocco sees Spain as “a strong and reliable partner” and that, for this reason, it has accepted the return of the people who entered Ceuta last week under the terms in which it occurred.
During his appearance before the media after the meeting with the other EU Interior Ministers, Marlaska also highlighted that Ceuta now has 18,000 agents, 10% more than in 2018, and that the crime rate in this autonomous city has “significantly” decreased.
Marlaska: “Many things happen and there does not necessarily have to be responsibility”
The Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska downplayed Spain’s responsibility in the migration crisis in Ceuta this Tuesday. “Many things happen and there does not necessarily have to be responsibility,” he said, then emphasizing that “any other EU country” could also have alerted and did not. Thus, he insisted it was an “extraordinary and exceptional” matter. “No intelligence service alerted,” he said, of this “orchestrated” operation by a “set of mafias” with “the excuse of an interested interpretation of a Supreme Court ruling.”
Marlaska: “In Spain, the fundamental rights of minors are respected”
The Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that “in Spain the fundamental rights of minors and adults, of every person, are respected.” “It is one of our obligations and priorities,” he emphasized after being asked about allegations of hot returns from Ceuta to Morocco.
During his appearance before the media after the meeting with the other EU Interior Ministers, Marlaska insisted that there were no reports warning that “something similar” to what happened last week in the autonomous city could occur.
Marlaska defends that the Government is taking measures in Ceuta and Melilla
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, defended before the media that the Government of Spain is working to guarantee control at the borders in Ceuta and Melilla. “Of course, we take measures in the summer period. We have more resources,” he pointed out.
In this regard, he specified that “irregular entries are being reduced by 30%.” And he recalled that they are working on the creation of a new immigrant center.
Marlaska also stated that in the meeting held with his EU counterparts it was clear that “the Schengen area was not at risk in any way.” In the same vein, he pointed out that they will continue working to maintain control at the borders of Ceuta and Melilla.
Marlaska supports the CNI but assures that “there was no report” warning of a migration crisis in Ceuta
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, stated this Tuesday that “there was no report or warning” from the National Intelligence Center (CNI) that “nothing similar to what happened could occur.” Thus, he supported the work carried out by the Spanish intelligence service: “My confidence and my recognition.”
Marlaska: “No person can leave Ceuta without effective documentary control”
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, indicated that in the meeting he held with his European counterparts “it was clear that Ceuta has a special regime in Schengen” and that “no person can leave Ceuta without effective documentary control.”
In a press conference held in Madrid, he described as “satisfactory” the “recognition” given at the meeting to the work carried out by Spain in this “unprecedented humanitarian crisis.”
Marlaska assures that 70,000 people have already returned to Morocco
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, assured this Tuesday that 70,000 of the 72,000 people who entered the autonomous city of Ceuta last week have already returned to Morocco.
In a press conference, he stated that the Government has “worked firmly to avoid any human tragedy” with the Kingdom of Morocco “since before July 30 and afterwards.”
According to him, this has made it “feasible for the majority of people who entered Spain irregularly to return.”
Marlaska explains that EU countries have recognized “the immediate effective response of the Spanish authorities”
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, appeared after meeting with his European counterparts to address the migration crisis in Ceuta. The minister explained that the meeting was “absolutely constructive” and that “the immediate effective response of the Spanish authorities has been recognized.”
Marlaska once again insisted on Morocco’s collaboration to resolve the situation. Both countries have worked “firmly to avoid any human tragedy, any violation of Spanish borders and in this case of the European Union.”
The EU commits to improving detection and alert systems in the EU after the Ceuta avalanche
Now yes, EU member states have shown their “strong solidarity” with Spain for what happened in Ceuta. They did so at the informal meeting of EU Interior Ministers held by videoconference this Tuesday, in which, according to the Irish presidency of the EU Council, they agreed to strengthen “the EU borders,” which could be achieved “through further development of early warning systems, such as pre-border intelligence information and monitoring of social networks.”
The initial reaction of several member states to the avalanche at the Ceuta border with Africa had been very critical of Spain. They pointed to mass regularization as one of the causes due to its possible pull effect. There is no reference to this in the final statement of the meeting that lasted just over three hours.
Migration Crisis
Expansion | The Government announces a 25 million euro fund to care for minors in Ceuta
The Government will allocate an extraordinary fund of 25 million euros directed to the autonomous city of Ceuta for the care of unaccompanied minors who entered the enclave last Thursday. The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, Elma Saiz, announced this in a statement to the media in Madrid this Tuesday, noting that this amount adds to “the 5.5 million distributed at the Childhood sectorial conference last July,” where 35 million were distributed for all autonomous communities. Saiz could not provide data on the number of migrant minors in the autonomous city, but Interior data indicates that more than 60,000 people crossed the border from Morocco, and there are at least 90 deaths.
You can read the full information here
The Government raises the death toll to 75 during the massive entry in Ceuta
The Government Delegation in Ceuta confirmed this Tuesday the discovery since Monday of three new bodies related to the massive entry the city suffered last Thursday. Thus, the death toll of the crisis rises to 75. The autonomous city government estimated on Saturday 88 deaths, while Morocco speaks of 11 bodies recovered on its coasts.
Many of the deceased lost their lives in the middle of the avalanche that occurred around the El Tarajal border breakwater.
In total, there are 105 deceased foreign bodies who have lost their lives on the Ceuta migration route during 2026. The day before the massive entry, last Wednesday, there were 30 deaths found on the Ceuta coast since January.
The Civil Guard maritime service has not ceased in the search for all the victims left by the migration emergency experienced last week. Sources from the armed institute have assured that the death toll will continue to rise in the coming days. Once recovered, the bodies are transferred to the Ceuta Military Hospital, where autopsies are performed. (EP)
MIGRATION CRISIS
An Interior document points to the upcoming installation of the anti-migration maritime barrier also in Melilla
The number two of the Ministry of the Interior, Aina Calvo, Secretary of State for Security, has issued written orders to the National Police and the Civil Guard to immediately begin applying hot returns to all migrants who try to swim to Ceuta by overcoming the new floating barrier installed next to the El Tarajal breakwater after the massive entry of people last week. In an internal instruction accessed by EL PAÍS, Calvo points out that similar “border containment elements” will soon be installed at sea in Melilla, as the legal authorization extends to agents assigned to this autonomous city, although there is no record that work has started there to place it.
Read more The Civil Guard confirms the murder last July in Benahavís as a case of gender-based violence
You can read the full information here
Tellado: “The people of Ceuta are afraid because thousands of people roam the city”
The Secretary General of the PP, Miguel Tellado, insisted on blaming the Government for the Ceuta crisis and assured that there is no “normality” situation in the autonomous city. “The people of Ceuta are afraid because thousands of people roam the city. There is a situation of insecurity,” Tellado asserted in statements to the media from Vitoria.
“A serious Government must shield international relations. National sovereignty is not negotiable, it is defended. Today everyone knows that Spain’s borders are porous,” added the Secretary General, who demanded the resignation of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and of Defense, Margarita Robles.
Regarding unaccompanied minors, Tellado dodged the question about whether the regional governments that share power with Vox will host those who are referred. “The one who caused the problem is the one who has to solve it,” he replied, referring to Pedro Sánchez.
“It has nothing to do with previous situations, it is not a migration crisis, it is a security crisis, the Ministry of the Interior and Defense must guarantee the security of Ceuta,” Tellado responded to continuous questions about unaccompanied foreign children and youth.
Migration crisis
Images of a 12-year-old boy in Ceuta who tearfully asks not to be returned to Morocco
The intervention of several witnesses prevented the return of the minor without parents in charge.
You can watch the full video here
The Government announces a 25 million euro fund to care for minors in Ceuta
The Government of Spain will allocate an extraordinary fund of 25 million euros directed to Ceuta for the care of unaccompanied minors in the city. This was announced by the Minister of Inclusion and Social Security, Elma Saiz, who noted that this amount adds to “the 5.5 million distributed at the Childhood sectorial conference last July,” where 35 million were distributed for all autonomous communities and 5.5 were directed to Ceuta.
According to the administrator, this strengthens “that the government of Spain is supporting Ceuta” and “putting special emphasis on the most vulnerable.”
The migration crisis adds 1,323 entries to Melilla, 1,063 already returned to Morocco
The migration crisis that Melilla has suffered has resulted in 1,323 irregular entries to the city in its first two days, Thursday and Friday last week, of which 1,063 people have been returned to Morocco through border rejections.
In a press conference, the Government delegate in Melilla, Sabrina Moh, reported that a total of 260 migrants remain in the autonomous city, of whom 140 are minors and the rest adults.
Moh, accompanied by the Civil Guard chief colonel, Jesús Rueda, and the regional head of National Police Operations, Diego Saavadra, reported that 211 on-site medical attentions had to be performed after the entry attempts, of which 68 had to be transferred to Emergency, 43 to the hospital, and 25 to primary care.
The Government is working to “speed up” the transfer of minors from Melilla to other autonomous communities under the migration contingency declaration a year ago, according to Moh. (Efe)
At least 44 people are being searched for by their families after the massive entry in Ceuta
At least 44 people, mainly young and minors, are missing after the massive entry of migrants in the autonomous city of Ceuta and are being searched for by their families, according to police sources.
Police sources indicated that up to 44 people are missing, according to testimony provided by relatives, who have indicated that they have had no news of their children, siblings, fathers, or mothers since last Thursday.
Relatives have provided photographs and phone numbers in case someone sees these people. (Efe)
The Civil Guard opens an office in Ceuta to collect complaints about missing migrants
The Civil Guard has set up a special office in Ceuta this Tuesday to collect complaints about the disappearance of migrants who tried to access Spain last week. Since the weekend, social networks have been filled with photographs of young people whose whereabouts are unknown, and several parents have approached the Castillejos fence seeking information about their relatives.
The attention point, located in the customs facilities of El Tarajal, will centralize complaints and information provided by relatives and acquaintances to channel communications in an orderly manner. The office will attend in person between 8:00 and 21:00.
For joys
The invasion of young people arriving from Morocco to the Spanish city of Ceuta has happened and will continue to happen whenever the neighbor needs to remind us of the fragility of our natural borders in the autonomous cities. Perhaps we know the factors that allied this time, even the struggle for the final venue of the 2030 World Cup. Maybe not. What is worth highlighting are the joyful reactions that a situation so dehumanized and sad has caused in many. Because in the end, let’s not fool ourselves, that thousands of young people dream of leaving their country can only highlight sadness and failure. But those spontaneous joys, almost like flamenco applause, are worth a comment. The first, that of the North American president Trump, who said that this would be the image his fellow citizens would see if the Democratic Party won in the future. His borders are equally fragile, despite the criminalization carried out against those who choose to leave their countries in the south. The problem with his view is that he wants to see ideological successes where there is nothing but inequality and poverty, factors that have increased during his term and that perhaps those who succeed him can begin to correct. It is the challenge of the millennium.
You can read the full opinion here
Italy criticizes that Spain did not consult the EU about the regularization of migrants
The Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, criticized that Spain did not consult the rest of the European Union countries about the recent regularization of 500,000 migrants, in an interview published this Tuesday in the newspaper Corriere della Sera. “Spain is regularizing 500,000 undocumented foreigners and does so without having shared this decision with any of its European partners and this is not right. Now we know that there are even one million regularization requests, and who prevents these people from moving freely within the Schengen area?” said the also Vice President of the Government.
In the interview, he also defended that Italy suspended the free movement treaty with Spain in August by carrying out controls in ports and airports on those arriving from that country after what happened in Ceuta and assured that this decision was based on “objective elements, analyzed by competent institutional committees.”
“And what will happen to the 5,000 sub-Saharan migrants in Ceuta, who cannot be returned to Morocco? Where will they go? It is no coincidence that the Danish socialist government was the first to share our concerns, along with many other EU member states. What happened in Ceuta is not an isolated event; it poses a risk to the entire Union, and we have the right to demand additional measures, clarifications, and preventive measures to ensure that these events do not repeat and do not compromise the social fabric of other EU member states,” he added. (Efe)
The Green March on Ceuta
In the final days of the Franco dictatorship, in November 1975, Hassan II promoted the Green March on the Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara, which ultimately led to its occupation until today. The massive entry of people, mostly Moroccans, in the last days of July 2026 in the autonomous city of Ceuta also represents the instrumentalization of civilians to achieve political ends. This instrumentalization is not new and, although it does not have, as in 1975, a formal organized call, it does present similarities that must be assessed, since in both cases, the population movement towards a territory under Spanish sovereignty or administration appears linked to a clear strategy of pressure on Madrid and the conversion of the border into a coercion factor.
You can read the full column here
The Spain of Truth
Truth Social, the social network created by Donald Trump in 2022, is the great echo chamber of the ideas of the US president and the usual populist and nationalist narratives in far-right media. There, he opines and reports on everything, and his instrumentalization of the crisis in Ceuta — with at least 90 deaths — boosted #spain to the trending list over the weekend. Except for football, few mentions are made of the country: no bullfighting clichés, beach, or photos with a relaxing café con leche in the main square. The Spain of Truth is that of an ally of Iran, reluctant in NATO, now invaded by Muslims.
You can read the full column here
The Ceuta border dawns without entry attempts and with few voluntary returns
The El Tarajal border that separates Ceuta from Morocco dawned this Tuesday calmly as no new entry attempts were recorded at the border breakwater, although the voluntary return of people to Morocco is already happening in dribs and drabs. According to police sources, access from the Moroccan side has practically been reduced to sporadic attempts by people who still try to enter the city swimming, despite the significant deployment of resources in the area.
These attempts barely reach a dozen and involve young people still seeking to reach the Ceuta coasts. Meanwhile, returns of people to Morocco have greatly decreased in recent hours, as those who still remain in Ceuta have chosen not to return voluntarily to their country of origin. The Ceuta Government has estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants still remain in the city, while the Government Delegation has reduced this figure to about 2,500 people. (Efe)
Interior Ministers meet over the crisis in Ceuta
The Interior Ministers of the European Union meet this Tuesday by videoconference to address the evolution of the migration crisis in Ceuta, after both the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the leaders of 22 other Member States requested the urgent convening of an extraordinary meeting to analyze the situation and coordinate the bloc’s response. The meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m., includes other members of countries associated with the Schengen area, the European External Action Service, Frontex, the European Asylum Agency, and Europol. The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, will intervene in the meeting from the department’s headquarters in Madrid and will later make statements to the media.
The PP seeks a debate on the crisis in the European Parliament and sends a letter to all MEPs attacking the Executive
The Popular Party intends to attack the Government over the Ceuta crisis from all fronts. Now it looks to Europe and seeks for the European Parliament to discuss the massive entry of 60,000 people in the autonomous city after the holidays to keep the issue alive. Thus, the Popular Party group has requested the holding of an urgent debate in the next plenary on the crisis, “its implications for the security of the Union’s external borders and the need for a common European response.”
A debate that would take place the week of September 14 in Strasbourg, in the same plenary where the traditional State of the Union speech will be given by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. In parallel, the PP has sent a letter to all MEPs attacking the Executive. “Pedro Sánchez has acknowledged that ‘the territorial integrity of Spain has been violated,’ but his Government has not responded with the firmness and proportionality that a crisis of this magnitude requires, which directly affects the national sovereignty of Europe’s southern border,” reads one of the points of the letter.
Migration crisis
Photos of missing persons in Ceuta on the same social networks that encouraged their exodus
“Vamos a Spania” was one of the viral slogans with the most interactions on social networks. A video explaining in dariya (Moroccan Arabic dialect) the Supreme Court ruling limiting hot expulsions had 1.3 million views. “Whoever wants to emigrate to Ceuta, send a direct message,” was exchanged in messaging groups.
You can read the full information here
Migration crisis
Spain will reproach the European reaction to the Ceuta crisis in Brussels
Up to 22 countries led by an Italian populist, Giorgia Meloni, and the Danish social democrat, Mette Frederiksen, strongly criticized Pedro Sánchez’s Spain after the Ceuta avalanche with a strange mix of alternative facts and amnesia of European values. The cold reaction of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, fueled those attacks, although this Monday – with the crisis on the way to resolution – the German changed course and adopted a more conciliatory tone. The Spanish Government, despite the mistakes, resolved the bulk of the problem in 48 hours. And this Tuesday is its turn: Spain, according to sources consulted, will demand solidarity from partners at the Interior Ministers summit and will reproach the hardest ones for what Pedro Sánchez has called an “egoistic, polarizing, and illegal reaction,” guided by “prejudices, fake news, ignorance, or political interest.”
You can read the full information here
Good morning. The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, will convey this Tuesday to his counterparts in the European Union that Spain “is committed to the control of European borders” and practices a migration policy “responsible with its obligations and supportive of the rest of the Member States.” The meeting is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m.
