A leaked police report pointing to Morocco’s involvement in the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta has shaken Spain’s political scene. Izquierda Unida (IU) is demanding that either Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska or National Police chief Francisco Pardo Piqueras step down if the report’s findings are confirmed.
The controversy followed El Español’s publication of details from a confidential police document suggesting that Moroccan authorities played a direct part in the late July surge of migrants at the Ceuta border. Several Spanish media outlets put the estimated scale of the incident at around 72,000 people. IU’s federal coordinator, Antonio Maíllo, said that if the police withheld information from the ministry, the director general should resign. If the ministry failed to act on the intelligence, he argued, the minister should be held responsible.
Sources at La Moncloa said they were surprised that such impressive evidence had not been shared with government officials. Official sources cited in the Spanish press said the Interior Ministry learned of the police document’s existence through media reports, not internal channels. The disclosures raised concerns about communication failures that could affect national security, as well as information-sharing between the police and government, including the National Security Council. The Interior Minister responded with a late-night letter to the police chief, demanding an explanation for the information gap. By the next morning, the police director had met with the officers who wrote the report.
Verónica Barbero, coordinator for Sumar, also called for transparency. She said that if the report is verified, Spain’s Foreign Ministry should summon Morocco’s ambassador for explanations. Barbero argued that denying Morocco’s involvement is becoming harder and that any failure to inform the ministry must have consequences.
Meanwhile, the Partido Popular (PP) stepped up its criticism of Marlaska. Secretary General Miguel Tellado called the minister "shameless, incompetent, and a liar," while PP spokesperson in Congress Ester Muñoz accused the government of ignoring the police report and failing to act in Ceuta. The PP’s campaign against the government’s handling of the border crisis has intensified, with recent mobilizations and legal actions.
Within the government, Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun urged caution but said Morocco’s involvement seemed likely, describing the incident as a "hybrid attack" using migration to destabilize Spain’s coalition. Castilla-La Mancha’s president, Emiliano García-Page, a vocal Socialist critic, said that if the report is accurate, there must be consequences "at every level." He also questioned why it took a judge’s request to prompt the police report, rather than action from intelligence or law enforcement agencies.
Maíllo argued that a movement of up to 80,000 people approaching the Ceuta border could not have happened without the Moroccan government’s knowledge and coordination. He warned that if parts of Spain’s security forces acted independently or withheld information, it would be a serious breach of loyalty to the government.
The Ceuta crisis has exposed deep problems in Spain’s security chain of command and raised political risks around managing cross-border migration. The government’s credibility is under pressure, both in its relationship with Morocco and in its ability to control its own institutions. The calls for resignations reflect wider concerns about the integrity of Spain’s security services and the transparency of its political leadership. If the report’s findings are confirmed, the consequences could reach beyond Ceuta, forcing changes at the highest levels of government and law enforcement.
