Hundreds of migrants, many of them young men from Morocco, remain stranded in Ceuta’s El Tarajal industrial area amid a severe humanitarian crisis. After swimming across the border, they struggle each day to find food and shelter, while safety remains a concern. Tensions have mounted as resources run short and their future remains uncertain.
Most migrants, including 26-year-old Mohamed from Castillejos, have lived on the streets for more than two weeks. Without stable housing, many sleep outdoors or in abandoned warehouses and rely on NGOs such as Luna Blanca for one meal a day. Poor hygiene and limited medical care have led to health problems, including infections and untreated wounds. Mattresses and blankets lie among the remains of former businesses in the overcrowded area, where daytime heat adds to the hardship.
Luna Blanca distributes food under police supervision, but supplies are limited and queues stretch for hundreds of meters. For many, it is the only meal they get each day. As resources dwindle, arguments and thefts have become more frequent, fuelling a general sense of insecurity. Women and children are also there, some still injured from their journeys. Medicine is scarce, and scabies and fungal infections are common.
Mohamed says he and two friends pool their limited money to buy bread and cold cuts, stretching what they have over several days. He avoids the city center because of the heavy police presence and stays near families, where he feels safer. Fear of deportation is constant, particularly as reports circulate about possible returns to Morocco. Many migrants follow updates on their phones, anxious about being separated from their families or forcibly repatriated.
Acts of solidarity still emerge. Volunteers sometimes bring food or basic medical supplies, and migrants support one another, especially the children. Recently, a woman brought groceries, which Mohamed and others shared among the youngest. Another volunteer gave first aid to people with untreated wounds. Two children were taken to hospital after fainting from hunger and illness.
Some migrants have made banners from white sheets to express their willingness to work and gratitude to the police. Visible from outside the warehouses, the messages convey a desire for chance, not conflict. Daily life remains harsh: most have only the clothes they arrived in, and cold, noisy nights leave little chance to rest.
The pressure in El Tarajal is part of a broader operation that began after the mass arrival in Ceuta on 30-31 July 2026 and continued through October. On 20 October, Government spokesperson and Minister for Social Inclusion and Migration Elma Saiz said 12,705 people had returned from Ceuta to Morocco since 10 August. Agencia EFE reported 12,142 voluntary returns and 536 expulsions. Saiz also said 7,477 temporary places had been made available in the city. These citywide figures cover returns and accommodation capacity, not the number of people still in El Tarajal.
By 23 October, Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory Ángel Víctor Torres reported that 13,101 people had returned to Morocco since 10 August. Nearly 8,000 reception places had opened, with about 6,000 occupied. Torres also said an operation was under way in the El Príncipe district to move around 200 migrants from privately owned homes and garages, describing it as “discreet and careful.” The Government of Spain said most adults still in Ceuta were accommodated in facilities provided by the General State Administration. Returns continued alongside reception efforts.
Authorities also registered children and introduced protection measures. By 23 October, they had registered 3,434 minors in Ceuta and completed more than 5,400 screenings of adults, along with 310 screenings of minors. Of the registered children, 114 had reportedly been placed with families in mainland Spain and 181 transferred to other autonomous communities under Article 35 of Spain’s immigration law. Another 65 files had been sent to Morocco for possible family reunification. These figures describe the wider institutional response; immediate needs reported in El Tarajal remain acute.
Spain’s government says its policy combines reception with individual assessments of protection claims, while relying on cooperation with Morocco. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Morocco’s cooperation was needed to manage migration. He added that adults who do not qualify for international protection would ultimately have to return. EFE’s 20 October figures distinguish voluntary returns from expulsions, which follow different administrative pathways rather than one blanket procedure. Reuters has also reported that most migrants remaining in Ceuta were Moroccan. In August, the Spanish government estimated that more than 1,000 were from sub-Saharan countries; government statistics cited by Reuters showed asylum recognition rates above 90% for nationals of those countries.
A separate internal assessment by the Government of the Autonomous City of Ceuta, cited by Artículo14, estimated 96,058 entries during the July episode. This was a cumulative estimate, not a count of people still in the city or industrial area. It included an estimated 73,000 people who left Ceuta collectively in the first days of August, as well as later returns and expulsions.
Statements from Moroccan and Spanish authorities about possible returns of irregular migrants have added to the uncertainty. That has heightened anxiety among people in El Tarajal, who already face hunger and insecurity. Save the Children says conditions in the area amount to extreme poverty and that no clear solution is in sight.
Ceuta’s immediate crisis is unfolding alongside broader social challenges across Spain. For example, delays in elderly care services in Madrid show the strain on public resources and the need for coordinated support for vulnerable people. Ceuta’s situation calls for sustainable solutions that address the needs of migrants and local communities.
The crisis at Ceuta’s border reflects the difficult conditions facing people seeking a better life in Spain. Authorities and migrants alike are contending with humanitarian needs, scarce resources and political uncertainty. Pressure for action is growing, while people caught in limbo continue to wait for answers.
