The Spanish government rejected proposals from Partido Popular leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo to impose a lockdown in Ceuta after the mass arrival of migrants on 30 to 31 July. Government figures later put the number of arrivals during the episode at more than 70,000. Elma Saiz, Spain’s Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, called Feijóo’s statements irresponsible and said the government had been present in Ceuta and would remain there. She argued that the city needed practical support, not rhetoric that could heighten public anxiety.
Feijóo called for migrants to be confined, citing health concerns linked to their arrival. Health Minister Mónica García said public-health powers rest with the autonomous authorities and called the proposed confinement unjustified and disproportionate. Instead, the Ministry of Health convened Spain’s autonomous communities to coordinate vaccine supplies for Ceuta. The plan included doses against measles and varicella, as well as polio, tetanus and diphtheria. One reported proposal envisaged transferring up to 25,000 doses.
Medical assessments offered a clearer picture of the health risks. Julián Domínguez, head of Preventive Medicine at Hospital Universitario de Ceuta, assessed the risk to Ceuta’s resident population as low and the risk among migrants as moderate, particularly for people outside organized accommodation. Cases of gastroenteritis and tuberculosis had been recorded. Reports also included scabies and meningitis, along with diphtheria. Vaccination efforts covered diphtheria and tetanus, as well as pertussis and polio. They also included varicella and measles, mumps and rubella. Domínguez said that “zero risk does not exist,” but the overall assessment did not justify residents’ fear.
Government figures reported in October showed that 83% of migrants housed in state-run temporary reception facilities had been vaccinated. Ceuta had 211 hospital beds, of which 100 were occupied; migrants occupied 20 of those beds. The same update put school attendance in the city at 90%. The response relied on vaccination and accommodation, coordinated across agencies, rather than a citywide confinement order.
The response also shifted toward returns and reception capacity. Between 10 August and 20 October, the government said, 12,142 people had returned voluntarily from Ceuta to Morocco and 536 had been expelled, for a combined total of 12,678. The state reported making 7,477 places available in temporary reception resources. It said most adult migrants still in Ceuta were housed in facilities provided by the General State Administration. Saiz said the aim was to help the city recover normality.
Ceuta’s child-protection system remained under pressure as the city managed adult reception. Government figures cited 3,331 unaccompanied minors receiving care within the city’s protection system; 107 had been reunited with family in mainland Spain and 181 transferred to other autonomous communities. The transfers were carried out under Article 35 of Spain’s immigration legislation. Earlier measures to relocate vulnerable minors, including a reported initiative involving at least 500 migrant girls, show the ongoing effort to meet care needs while addressing capacity constraints. More details on previous measures are available in the report on the government's plan to transfer migrant minors from Ceuta.
Ceuta, on Spain’s North African coast, has long been a focal point for migration into the country. The July influx strained accommodation and health services, while also putting pressure on child protection. It prompted political disagreement over containment, relocation and public-health measures. By October, the government had arranged temporary housing and vaccination. It had also coordinated returns to Morocco and transfers of minors, while facing the challenge of balancing the city’s limited capacity with its legal and humanitarian responsibilities.
