Ceuta’s border is once again under pressure, with Spain’s Interior Ministry reporting more than 1,700 irregular arrivals by mid-August and nearly 300 attempts in the first two weeks of the month.
The city has become the focal point of Spain’s summer migration uptick, even as the country overall has registered fewer irregular entries than last year.
Authorities say the vast majority of arrivals in Ceuta have come by land, while maritime entries remain minimal.
Melilla has also seen an increase in recent weeks after very limited activity earlier this year. Nationwide, Spain recorded just over 22,000 arrivals by mid-August, nearly one-third fewer than in 2024. The Canary Islands logged sharp declines, while the Balearic Islands emerged as a new hotspot with rising numbers.
The seasonal uptick in Ceuta follows a slower first quarter, when only a few hundred migrants managed to cross, two-thirds fewer than during the same period of 2024.
The Interior Ministry reported 269 arrivals in Ceuta between January and March 15, compared to more than 700 in the same months last year.
The renewed pressure has reignited political debate in Madrid. Police union JUPOL has called on the government of Pedro Sánchez to strike readmission deals with Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Senegal, modeled on Spain’s accord with France.
The union argues such agreements would “end smuggling networks, protect lives, and strengthen national security.”
Migration specialists warn, however, that these proposals risk clashing with international law.
Abdelhamid Jamour, an expert on South-South migration, told Hespress that Morocco insists on “sovereign equality and shared responsibility” in its cooperation with Spain, noting that migration management should not rely solely on expulsions but also on development and legal pathways.
Hassan Bentaleb, a specialist in asylum, recalled that Spain and Morocco already have a 1991 readmission accord, but its application to third-country nationals has triggered legal disputes, including a 2016 ruling against immediate deportations.
On the ground, enforcement has intensified. Local daily El Faro de Ceuta reported more than 200 migrants attempted to breach the border in mid-August, prompting coordinated interventions by Moroccan naval forces and Spain’s Guardia Civil.
Despite tighter patrols, at least 19 migrants have died trying to reach Spanish territory this year, while Ceuta’s reception centers remain overcrowded with hundreds of Moroccan minors and sub-Saharan migrants.
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