Ceuta declares emergency as hundrends of migrants arrive by sea from Morocco

More than 1,500 migrants have reached Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta by swimming from Morocco over the past week, overwhelming reception facilities and prompting local authorities to declare an emergency, officials said Wednesday.

Ceuta President Juan Vivas said the arrivals included adults and minors, with around 400 people sleeping outside the enclave’s temporary migrant reception centre because it had run out of space.

The centre, known by its Spanish acronym CETI, was accommodating more than 700 people despite having an official capacity of 512, according to figures cited by Europa Press.

Spanish newspaper El País reported that the broader number of arrivals had exceeded 2,000 over slightly more than a week, with most described as young Moroccans. Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and other countries were also among those reaching the enclave.

Many entered by swimming around the maritime borders at Tarajal and Benzú, sometimes using inflatable rings or improvised flotation devices.

Emergency workers, the Civil Guard, maritime rescue services and humanitarian organisations have been assisting people who arrive exhausted, suffering from hypothermia, dehydration or minor injuries.

The Spanish Red Cross said its teams were facing an unusually intense challenge but cautioned against portraying the arrivals as an entirely new phenomenon, noting that attempts generally increase during periods of calm summer weather.

Reception system overwhelmed

Vivas called on Spain’s central government to transfer migrants to reception centres on the mainland, strengthen security resources and reform immigration legislation to address the pressure faced by Ceuta.

The autonomous city, with a population of around 85,000, has limited land and reception capacity.

Authorities are also caring for dozens of unaccompanied minors, placing additional pressure on facilities that were already operating above their intended capacity.

The Spanish government’s delegation in Ceuta said it was coordinating humanitarian, security and accommodation measures and remained in communication with Moroccan authorities.

The crossings have also proved deadly. Spanish media reported that 29 bodies had been recovered from waters around Ceuta since the beginning of 2026, including several during the latest surge.

Court ruling fuels political dispute

The arrivals followed a July 8 Spanish Supreme Court ruling restricting the immediate return to Morocco of migrants intercepted while attempting to enter Ceuta or Melilla by sea.

The court ruled that Spain’s “hot return” procedure applied to people crossing physical border barriers but not automatically to swimmers intercepted at sea, who must instead receive the procedural safeguards established under immigration law.

Some Ceuta officials have argued that the ruling may have encouraged more people to attempt the crossing.

Humanitarian organisations dispute the suggestion of a simple “pull effect,” saying summer surges have occurred repeatedly and are driven by several factors, including favourable weather, poverty, unemployment and migrants’ search for security and opportunity.

José Miguel Morales of migrant support organisation Andalucía Acoge told El País that Ceuta should expand its permanent reception system rather than repeatedly treat predictable seasonal increases as exceptional emergencies.

The influx comes despite an overall decline in irregular migration to Spain. Interior Ministry figures showed 14,479 irregular arrivals nationwide between January 1 and July 15, down about 25% from 19,222 during the same period of 2025.