Ceuta is seeing an unprecedented reversal at its border: hundreds of migrants who entered the Spanish enclave irregularly are returning to Morocco. Spanish military personnel have been deployed to the frontier to guide groups of mostly young people back across the same breakwater they used to enter. The initial wave was put at around 40,000 crossings in 24 hours. Independent coverage described the principal episode, on 30 and 31 July 2026, as involving more than 70,000 crossings over roughly 48 hours. Arrivals overwhelmed the city’s limited reception capacity. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights said the crisis put “the balance between protecting fundamental rights and safeguarding the EU’s external borders to the test.”
Many of those heading back cite overcrowding as a reason for their decision. Others point to a lack of shelter or limited access to food. Migrants have struggled to find places to sleep, with parks and public spaces filled to capacity. Some say they have been refused service in shops and cafés, while others describe hostility from local residents, including stone-throwing and threats. Ceuta, with a registered population of 83,600, has been transformed into an improvised camp. Young people sleep on damp grass and statue pedestals, while parking lots are also being used. Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the government created 7,000 reception places after the crisis and that Morocco’s cooperation was needed to manage migration.
The border zone has become a chaotic corridor, with people moving in both directions: some are still attempting to swim into Ceuta using inflatable devices, while others are escorted back by soldiers and Civil Guard officers. Military vehicles line the area. The presence of nearly 30 army units shows the scale of the response. The legal border crossing remains open to people with documentation, while authorities manage returns and continue processing cases, including applications for international protection. Spain’s October figures distinguished between voluntary returns and expulsions, reflecting the use of different procedures.
Among those leaving is Salma Zoubiri, a 21-year-old Moroccan nurse, who said she is returning because of difficulties with police and the overall situation in Ceuta. Like many others, she is prepared to swim back if necessary, undeterred by the risks. The city’s basic avenues and beach promenades are crowded with young people carrying plastic bags. In the Príncipe neighborhood, groups and scattered rubbish add to the tense, militarized atmosphere.
At least 19 people have died attempting to swim around the breakwater separating Spain and Morocco, information from provisional figures. Spanish authorities have also reportedly recorded 141 deaths during the broader July incident, many involving people trying to reach Ceuta by sea. The toll and the volume of arrivals far exceed the previous crisis in May 2021, when over 10,000 migrants bypassed border controls. Estimates of the July crossings have varied: some accounts put the total at around 80,000, while local estimates cited in reporting reached 100,000. These figures refer to the wider episode and reflect different estimates. The initial 24-hour count was around 40,000.
The situation has placed enormous strain on Ceuta’s infrastructure and emergency services. Spain’s government said that more than 12,700 people had returned to Morocco between 10 August and 20 October, and that most adult migrants still in Ceuta were accommodated in facilities provided by the basic administration. Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz also cited 5,237 personnel deployed and 11,375 surveillance and information-gathering patrols. On 23 October, Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory Ángel Víctor Torres reported that the return total had reached 13,101. These figures chart an operation that continued well beyond the initial crossings. Civil-society observers have raised concerns about pressure on migrants to accept returns described as voluntary, a characterization that differs from the government’s official classification of return cases. Similar migration surges have tested local resources before, including during the summer influx that prompted Red Cross intervention reported by RUSSPAIN.
Ceuta’s position as a Spanish territory on the African continent has long made it a focal point for migration from Morocco and beyond. The crisis has put border management and humanitarian response under scrutiny, while also exposing limits in local capacity. As authorities continue to help returns and provide accommodation, the continuing emergency shapes the experience of the city and its residents. Sánchez described cooperation with Morocco as necessary to manage migration and said the authorities had faced a choice in which using force “could have led to even more deaths.”
