Alberto Núñez Feijóo sharply criticized the Spanish government after traveling to Ceuta following the mass movement of people from Morocco on 30 and 31 July 2026. The Partido Popular leader called the arrival a “premeditated occupation” and argued that the executive knew of the risk but failed to act. Estimates cited during and after the episode varied. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska initially put the number at about 50,000, with later figures attributed to him reaching roughly 72,000; Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez referred to more than 80,000 entries. The Government of Ceuta later estimated at least 96,058, an accumulated administrative figure that may include duplicate records rather than a count of unique individuals.
Standing alongside Ceuta’s regional president, Juan Jesús Vivas, Feijóo said the situation was not an isolated incident but the consequence of political decisions in Madrid. He argued that the government’s approach to regularizing undocumented migrants had sent a message that entering Spain by any route could lead to legal status. Feijóo also said he had spoken with several European leaders to share his concerns, adding that other EU countries were uneasy about developments in Ceuta.
The Partido Popular has called for urgent reforms to Spain’s immigration laws, specifically demanding changes that would allow maritime arrivals to be rejected at the border immediately. Feijóo also asked Sánchez to appear before Congress and explain the government’s handling of the crisis. He said official documents had identified the risk in advance and questioned why authorities had not acted sooner if they knew of the threat days before the mass entry.
During his visit, Feijóo promised that, if his party comes to power, it would reinforce the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, though he gave no details on how. He also addressed relations with Morocco, saying he supports cooperation and mutual respect, but that the Spanish government must respond firmly to actions that threaten border security. Vivas, who has led Ceuta’s regional government for seven terms, welcomed recent returns of migrants but stressed that normality had not yet returned to the city.
Sánchez, who visited Ceuta a day earlier, said the government had been caught off guard by the sudden influx. Feijóo rejected that explanation, expressing disbelief that all intelligence services could have failed to anticipate the event. He argued that the crisis stemmed from a Supreme Court ruling and the government’s decision to regularize large numbers of undocumented migrants, which he believes has encouraged further arrivals.
The scale of the response remained evident in figures released by the Spanish government on 20 October. It reported that 12,705 people had returned to Morocco between 10 August and 20 October, including 12,142 classified as voluntary returns and 536 as expulsions. The government also said 3,331 minors remained in Ceuta’s regional protection system. Another 107 minors had moved to mainland Spain through family-reunification procedures, while 181 were relocated to other autonomous communities under Article 35 of Spain’s Immigration Law; 63 case files were sent to Morocco.
The same government briefing said 7,477 temporary accommodation places had been activated, 5,237 personnel deployed in the city and 11,375 surveillance and information patrols carried out. It reported that 83% of migrants in the newly established accommodation resources had been vaccinated. Of Ceuta’s 211 available hospital beds, 100 were occupied, including 20 by migrants. The figures show the ongoing demands on local services, from reception and child protection to health care, more than two months after the July crossings.
The situation in Ceuta has drawn national and international attention, putting emergency services and local authorities under impressive pressure. The city faced a surge in arrivals, with humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross providing urgent assistance to people reaching the Spanish coast. For more on the challenges facing Ceuta’s emergency teams, see this related report on recent arrivals and Red Cross operations.
Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast, has long been a focal point for migration from Morocco and other countries. The Partido Popular dominates the city’s political field, having secured nine seats in the last local elections; the PSOE and Vox followed. The crisis has intensified debate over Spain’s border policies and the government’s capacity to manage sudden migratory pressures. Frontex’s published series reportedly excluded the exceptional 30 and 31 July crossings, so its total of 18,260 detections through September does not capture the full movement into the enclave. The dispute over the tally and the response may influence future immigration measures and Spain’s relations with Morocco and the European Union.
