On 15 August 2026, Moroccan authorities ordered journalists from Efe and TVE to leave Fnideq (Castillejos) as they reported on a police operation near the border with Ceuta. Youssef Hajji, the local representative of Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior, delivered the order while the reporters covered Moroccan riot police confronting hundreds of migrants trying to approach the Spanish enclave. Most were from sub-Saharan Africa. Police met them with tear gas and batons as they tried to reach the border area.
Hajji told the Efe correspondent to leave immediately and gave no reason. He then extended the order to the TVE crew, warning that its press credentials and equipment could be confiscated if it did not comply. The instruction was a local administrative order; the incident report identifies no court ruling or published expulsion decree. Both media organizations protested, calling the order an infringement of the right to information, while the Spanish government pursued the matter through diplomatic channels.
Efe had sought clarification from Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior. The director of communication at the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication said efforts were underway to establish what had happened. The incident put access to independent reporting under scrutiny during a security operation involving migrants. It also fueled a wider debate over press freedom and transparency at the border.
The scale of the migration crisis helps explain the sensitivity of reporting from Fnideq. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights said Spanish authorities estimated that more than 72,000 people entered Ceuta irregularly from Morocco on 30 and 31 July 2026. At least 88 people died attempting the crossing by swimming, the agency said. It added that the arrivals “put the balance between protecting fundamental rights and safeguarding the EU’s external borders to the test.”
Spain’s response to the crisis combined returns to Morocco with accommodation for migrants remaining in Ceuta. The Spanish government said its measures enabled more than 12,700 people to return between 10 August and 20 October, while most adults still in the city were housed in facilities provided by the General State Administration. A separate tally cited by Minister for Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres recorded 11,756 returns by 14 October: 11,225 voluntary returns and 531 expulsions. The figures cover different reporting dates and categories.
Rights concerns also shaped debate over the returns. Reuters reported that Spanish government statistics showed more than 1,000 migrants still in Ceuta in August came from sub-Saharan countries whose nationals receive asylum in Spain in more than 90 percent of cases. Their presence brought the protection implications of border management into focus, alongside the operational pressure to address the arrivals.
The Fnideq episode unfolded amid continuing friction between Spain and Morocco over migration and border management. Ceuta and Melilla are the European Union’s land borders with Morocco, and both governments face pressure to manage irregular crossings and protect people at the frontier. The incident also renewed attention to whether Spanish and Moroccan journalists receive reciprocal access. It echoes previous disputes, including Rabat’s threat to suspend extradition agreements, which drew sharp criticism from Spanish political parties. For further context on tensions between Madrid and Rabat, see this related report.
The expulsion highlights the tension between security operations and journalists’ ability to report on them. At Spain’s southern frontier, migration control and access to information remain closely tied to diplomatic relations.
