During an appearance on Antena 3’s ‘El Hormiguero’, Juan Jesús Vivas said Ceuta was losing €1 million a day because of the migration crisis. The city’s president called on Spain’s government to act. Vivas said the daily losses over the three months following the mass arrivals amounted to 5% of Ceuta’s annual gross domestic product.
He also said crime had risen by 60% and Ceuta had lost 4% of its annual gross domestic product. Illegal construction, he claimed, had increased by 660%. In October, Vivas also said emergency calls to the 112 service had risen by 200% during September. Incidents at the port were up 500%, while hospital emergency-department activity had increased by 400%.
Vivas called the situation a security crisis and said it had sharply reduced residents’ quality of life. He pointed to encampments and violence outside homes, as well as pressure on hospital emergency departments. Children, he said, could no longer enjoy playgrounds. Local fiestas had been suspended, and a match involving Spain’s national team had been cancelled. The city’s child-protection system was also under pressure. Reports put the number of minors in Ceuta’s care at around 3,300.
His appearance focused on the lack of a clear route back to normality. Vivas said returns to Morocco had taken place voluntarily or after a criminal offence, and no administrative decision had resulted in an expulsion. He blamed Sumar for the withdrawal of a planned decree. The Spanish government responded to Ceuta’s demand for a timetable after the deadline, but did not set a date for the expulsions sought by the city.
The latest emergency followed a mass entry from Morocco on 30 and 31 July 2026. Vivas later estimated that 15,000 to 17,000 migrants remained in Ceuta, about one fifth of its usual population. He cited a 20% increase in water consumption in September compared with the same month in 2025 as part of his estimate. The Spanish government did not provide a matching final figure. Ángel Víctor Torres reportedly said 13,101 people had returned to Morocco since 10 August.
The number of migrants in Ceuta was described differently in the material Vivas discussed. He said 15,000 people remained in the city. Police sources cited by local newspaper ‘Ceuta Ahora’ put the number at more than 16,000 across reception facilities and dispersed settlements.
Vivas had also joined a Madrid demonstration organised by Mujeres Caballas, a platform initially formed by 19 women with different professions and political views. The march urged the basic government to keep Ceuta’s situation in view. Other Madrid demonstrations have focused on different demands. A farmers’ protest centred on fuel costs and EU farm funding. Chamber of Commerce president Karim Bulaix said the disruption had dealt a hard blow to businesses and self-employed workers.
Vivas said he had filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. He sought to compel the government to accelerate expulsions within 10 days, but the court rejected the urgent procedure. He argued that the crisis should be treated as a national matter, not a party-political dispute, because of its effects on Ceuta’s security and residents.
