President Juan Jesús Vivas has urged the Spanish government to declare a national emergency and take direct control of the response as migrant arrivals surge in Ceuta. In recent days, hundreds of people, mainly young Moroccan men but also some women, have reached the city by swimming along the coastline. The arrivals have overwhelmed local facilities and revived memories of the 2021 border crisis. The mass arrivals on 30-31 July 2026 put particular pressure on reception capacity and the systems responsible for processing and protecting unaccompanied minors.
Speaking to Cadena Ser, Vivas described the situation as unprecedented in scale and intensity. He said Ceuta, together with Melilla, forms the only land and maritime border linking Spain with Europe and Africa, making it a focal point for migration pressures. The city has seen approximately 1,500 new arrivals in just one week, nearly 2% of Ceuta’s total population, Vivas said. The daily influx now averages around 300 people and continues to rise.
Authorities report that about 700 of those who arrived were minors. By 19 October, Vivas said, the number of minors in Ceuta’s protection system had risen from 180 before the crisis to approximately 3,300. He described the existing reception arrangements as insufficient. More than 1,000 young people were reported waiting outside the temporary reception center, which has capacity for just over 500. Hundreds of people were also reported sleeping outdoors or in improvised camps along the beach. The Guardia Civil has been escorting new arrivals to reception facilities, but some migrants, wary of the process, have fled into nearby ravines. The scenes echo those of 2021, when thousands crossed the border in a single day as diplomatic tensions between Spain and Morocco flared and Moroccan authorities offered little resistance.
Vivas has called on the government to deliver a “decisive, energetic, and immediate” response under a single command structure. He insists that only a unified approach can address the scale of the emergency. The president remains in contact with the central government, including the Delegation and various ministers, and expects his request to be met with understanding and action. Madrid has taken a different measure: the Spanish government said it had approved a “Situation of National Security Interest” in Ceuta, creating a strengthened coordination structure for the General State Administration. The government presented the designation as evidence that state services had not been inactive. It was distinct from the national emergency Vivas requested.
Managing the overflow at reception centers has become a critical issue. Adult facilities fall under state responsibility, while the city is tasked with caring for minors and is seeking additional financial support from Madrid. Vivas describes the situation as a humanitarian and social emergency that requires provisional resources as well as long-term solutions. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights has warned of serious risks to Fundamental Rights at the bloc’s external borders. It has highlighted the need to balance rapid border management with protections for people arriving suddenly, including unaccompanied children.
Vivas said on 19 October that roughly 15,000 people who had entered during the crisis remained in Ceuta. He based the estimate partly on a 20% year-on-year increase in water consumption in September. The figure refers to people he believed were still in the city, while the national government reported a separate measure: by 20 October, 12,705 people had returned to Morocco since 10 August, including 12,142 voluntary returns and 536 expulsions. The figures cover different groups and points in time. Vivas said, “Ceuta sigue sin volver a la normalidad. Han pasado tres meses y permanecen unas 15.000 personas” (“Ceuta has still not returned to normality. Three months have passed and around 15,000 people remain”).
He also cited mounting pressure on public services and security. Vivas reported a 184% increase over the previous 30 days in emergency calls to 112 involving assaults or fights, along with other reported disturbances, including home invasions. He cited a 503% rise in port incidents, a 400% increase in emergency-department care and a 60% increase in crime, using figures attributed to the High Court of Justice of Andalusia. He presented these figures in a political briefing as measures of the pressure on the city after the July arrivals.
Vivas has also called for stronger cooperation with Morocco to stem arrivals, along with more personnel and resources for Spain’s border and security forces. Another pressing concern is the legal structure for handling migrants who enter by sea. Following a recent Supreme Court ruling, express rejections are permitted only for those who cross established border barriers, not for those who swim in. Vivas argues that legislative changes are needed to address this gap.
The president warns that if the current trend continues unchecked, Ceuta could soon face a crisis on the scale of May 2021. The daily flow of migrants, he says, is already straining the city’s capacity to respond. Similar challenges have arisen elsewhere in Spain, where emergency coordination has been impressive during other crises, including the wildfires that displaced thousands in Madrid’s Sierra region. That event showed the importance of unified action, as reported in coverage of emergency responses in Madrid.
Ceuta’s position at the crossroads of Europe and Africa has long made it a focal point for migration. Its limited resources and small population amplify the impact of sudden influxes. Spanish law places responsibility for unaccompanied minors on the autonomous city, while adults fall under national jurisdiction. The July arrivals tested border control and required expanded accommodation, child-protection procedures and safeguards for Fundamental Rights. Managing migration flows and humanitarian needs at Spain’s southern border requires coordinated policy backed by adequate funding, alongside international cooperation.
