Thousands of migrants are still in Spain’s northern African territory of Ceuta after a border crisis last week, the head of the enclave has said. Juan Jesús Vivas told the European Parliament that between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remained in Ceuta. He said that many times that number had arrived during the initial surge, which saw about 78,000 people reach the territory by sea from neighbouring Morocco within hours. Vivas said he felt “profound sorrow” at what he described as an “irreparable tragedy”, adding that 100 people had died during the crossings. He said the situation had left Ceuta facing continued pressure, with humanitarian needs and disturbances to public order still ongoing. Ceuta After The mass ArrivalVivas, a conservative, criticised the Spanish government’s response, saying he had personally told Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez that it had been “late and insufficient”. He said Ceuta lacked key information on how many people were still in the territory, arguing that the absence of numbers showed limited resources to manage the crisis. He also said warnings from local officials about an increase in sea arrivals had been ignored. While he said the return of nearly 75,000 migrants to Morocco had “considerably alleviated” the situation, Ceuta had not returned to normal. He said the territory was still in a humanitarian emergency and that public order had been affected. On migrants who are minors, Vivas said it was “basically impossible” to send them back because any return required their consent. Aid For Minors And Disputes Over NumbersSpain’s interior minister has said the government has allocated €25m to assist minors in Ceuta. But Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that 4,860 migrant children had been registered by volunteer groups, saying the figure was double official estimates. El Mundo also carried comments from a volunteer warning the situation was “unsustainable”. According to El País, no children had been moved to mainland Spain so far, citing reluctance among right-wing local authorities to take them in. EU Schedules Emergency Talks Over Ceuta Migrant Surge The crisis has also fed into political disagreement between Spain’s regions. Some right-wing figures have pointed to an agreement with Morocco on cooperation to return migrant children to their families, while the conservative leader in Melilla called for a “gesture of solidarity” from colleagues on the mainland. Social Media Calls For More CrossingsVivas said new calls for mass crossings were circulating online, according to Moroccan media. Hespress reported that posts and messages were shared encouraging people to join closed WhatsApp groups, using hashtags linked to migrating to Spain and job opportunities there, despite warnings from Moroccan authorities that those promoting irregular migration could face prosecution. Spain and the EU have also been dealing with the wider repercussions of the surge, which has contributed to tensions among member states in the Schengen area that share open internal borders. EU Fallout And The Morocco DisputeThe EU Commission praised Spain’s “swift response”, which it said included deploying armed forces to Ceuta and to Melilla. However, divisions among EU countries have grown. Italy suspended its Schengen arrangements with Spain, with support from Finland and Denmark, while the Czech Republic called for Spain’s Schengen membership to be temporarily suspended, despite Sánchez saying Ceuta is not part of Schengen. Magnus Brunner, the EU’s Migration Commissioner, suggested criminal networks spreading disinformation may have contributed to the crossings, and Sánchez agreed with that assessment. The EU official also said the bloc should use leverage such as visa policy and trade to press Morocco to cooperate. Brunner said the EU was “ready to do more” in Ceuta but had not received a further request for EU border guards from Spain. Morocco has blamed the crisis on Spain’s Supreme Court ruling that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco. A Moroccan government source briefing local outlets said the “deterrent element” collapsed and “the dam gave way” because of a judge’s decision, not because of the actions of criminal networks. Vivas also questioned why Morocco’s border guards did not attempt to stop the attempt, describing it as an “unequivocal attack”. Spain’s interior minister said he was working “firmly” with Morocco to prevent further “violations” and that migrants still in Ceuta would be returned as soon as possible. Join the discussion? 7 August 2026
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