A new wave of arrivals in August 2024 has pushed Ceuta’s authorities to seek immediate help from Madrid and regional governments. Led by Juan Jesús Vivas of the Partido Popular (PP) for a quarter-century, the city has repeatedly faced sudden influxes of migrants, both adults and minors, often amid diplomatic friction between Spain and Morocco. Vivas said the number of minors in Ceuta had risen from 180 before the end-of-July arrivals to about 3,300, and called for national-government staff and resources to support returns to Morocco. The crisis has grown more complicated since the PP-Vox coalition collapsed, after Vox withdrew its support over the relocation of unaccompanied minors from the Canary Islands to mainland Spain.
In May 2021, between 8,000 and 10,000 people entered Ceuta from the Moroccan town of Fnideq in less than 48 hours; more than 1,500 were minors. Many crossed by swimming or climbing border barriers. Spain’s Interior Ministry reported that roughly half of those who entered were subsequently returned to Morocco, while Amnesty International estimated that about 5,000 people were summarily pushed back. The episode unfolded as relations between Spain and Morocco deteriorated after Spain admitted Brahim Gali, leader of the Frente Polisario, for medical treatment. It also exposed the legal safeguards required when authorities deal with unaccompanied children: attempts to repatriate minors without adequate protections later came under legal scrutiny.
During the 2021 crisis, Vivas described the situation as unsustainable and called for the urgent transfer of thousands of new arrivals. That summer, Spain and Morocco agreed to return more than 700 minors, but the process drew criticism for lacking proper documentation and legal safeguards. Spanish courts later ruled that the expedited repatriation of 55 minors was illegal, leading to the disqualification of two local officials from public office. The Spanish government’s subsequent support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara was presented as a step toward improved border security and migration management. The legal controversy showed that decisions to repatriate children must follow procedures that protect their rights, including family tracing and consideration of individual circumstances.
By August 2024, Ceuta’s authorities again said they could not manage the influx alone, urging the central government and other regions to share responsibility for caring for unaccompanied minors. Reports put the number of minors receiving care in Ceuta at about 3,390, with as many as 12 emergency facilities opened from 1 August. The reported transfers took two forms: 181 minors were moved to other autonomous communities under Article 35 of Spain’s immigration law, while another 114 went to mainland Spain to reunite with relatives. Article 35 provides for autonomous communities to receive minors from territories formally declared to be experiencing a migration emergency. Ceuta’s preference for returns to Morocco has so clashed with the central government’s effort to distribute responsibility across Spain.
Other government figures for the period recorded 3,434 minors registered and receiving protection in Ceuta, including the 114 accommodated with relatives on the Peninsula and the 181 transferred under Article 35. The central government also reported more than 5,400 adult screenings and 310 minor screenings as part of identification and processing efforts. These figures are separate reported snapshots of a rapidly changing caseload. Spain’s Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, described the guardianship of unaccompanied minors as “the grave problem of Ceuta in the medium term.” Vivas, meanwhile, argued that responsibility for repatriation rested with the national government. The city had completed 160 return files, far fewer than the number of minors in its care.
The political dispute reaches beyond Ceuta. Vox and the PP in Extremadura called on the Spanish government to address what they described as insecurity and the effects of the arrivals on young people in Ceuta. Vox representative Juan Antonio Morales Gordillo said, “Ceuta is going through a critical situation,” and argued that irregular entrants should be returned to their places of origin. The relocation dispute has also reshaped party alliances: Vox broke with the PP after the latter agreed to accept a minimum number of minors from the Canary Islands. Later PP-Vox agreements included clauses restricting such transfers.
This crisis is part of a recurring pattern. Similar surges have tested the city’s resources in recent years, as described in coverage of previous emergency declarations and calls for centralized action. The pattern leaves Spain’s border enclaves vulnerable to diplomatic shifts abroad and political divisions at home.
Ceuta’s experience reflects broader challenges facing Spain’s migration policy. The city’s limited capacity to house and process large numbers of arrivals, especially minors, has exposed gaps in coordination among authorities at every level. Legal rulings have clarified that returns must follow strict procedures, while diplomatic relations with Morocco remain a decisive factor in border management. Coalition breakdowns, particularly those involving parties like Vox, continue to shape the response. As migration pressures persist, Ceuta tests Spain’s ability to meet humanitarian obligations and legal requirements amid political realities at its borders.
