Spain’s Partido Popular (PP) is urging the government and the European Union to act after what it calls an unprecedented breach of the southern border in Ceuta. The party accuses Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of ignoring intelligence warnings and leaving the city vulnerable to a mass entry of irregular migrants. PP leaders describe the situation as a direct threat to Spanish and European territorial integrity. A European Parliament briefing says the crisis peaked on July 30 and 31, 2026, when about 80,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta in two days, a scale not seen before in Spain or at any EU border.
PP representatives in the European Parliament have sharply criticized the government’s response. Alma Ezcurra, the party’s vice-secretary for sectoral coordination, called it negligence and surrender. She described persistent fear in Ceuta, daily assaults on police and reports of sexual violence against migrant women. She argued these were not isolated incidents, but the result of a government unwilling to confront the situation at the border. Official European Parliament figures put the death toll during the crisis at a minimum of 72, including drownings and deaths at the border fence. Some reports estimate that more than 150 people died.
European Parliament data showed that by August 2, most of those who crossed into Ceuta during the crisis had returned to Morocco.
Dolors Montserrat, secretary general of the European People’s Party and vice president of the PPE Group, sharpened the criticism. She said Sánchez knew about the risk, had received warnings from police and intelligence services, and chose to ignore them. Montserrat said the president of Ceuta repeatedly warned Madrid, only to be told to stop raising concerns. She added that even after 80,000 irregular migrants entered on July 30, the government remained silent as thousands were still on the streets, clashes with police took place daily and children could not attend school. Spanish government officials said that, as of August 10, 5,321 people had returned to Morocco and 90 had withdrawn their asylum requests, but did not disclose the exact number still in Ceuta. European and media sources estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 people remained in the city in early September, while reception centers were overwhelmed.
Javier Zarzalejos, chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, described the events as a hybrid attack on Spain’s sovereignty and said they went beyond migration. He questioned Morocco’s cooperation, noting that Rabat had not authorized the repatriation of the bodies of 140 people who drowned during the mass entry. Zarzalejos argued that the return of 70,000 people to Morocco showed the border was under Moroccan control, not that the two countries had a partnership. Moroccan authorities, Al Jazeera reported, denied any involvement in organizing the mass entry, amid ongoing disputes between Spain and Morocco and mounting pressure within the EU.
The PP claims Morocco is deliberately using migration flows as use against Spain, a tactic discussed in other contexts, as seen in this earlier breakdown. The party says the EU should treat the Ceuta crisis as seriously as similar incidents on the borders of Poland, Finland or Lithuania, whatever country is on the other side. Spain formally requested emergency EU funding on August 24 to expand reception capacity and reinforce border infrastructure. The EU later approved €114.7 million in emergency assistance.
Frontex reported that irregular migration along the Western Mediterranean route increased by 34% from January to August 2026, excluding the July surge in Ceuta. Spanish statistics show that 4,076 people entered Ceuta by land in the first eight months of 2026, more than double the figure for the same period in 2025. The figures point to continued migration pressure on Ceuta after the crisis peaked.
For the PP, the issue reaches beyond Ceuta. The party calls for full implementation of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact and demands equal protection for all European borders, whether the threat comes from Russia or Morocco. Montserrat summed up the party’s position: Ceuta must be defended, not abandoned or negotiated away.
The dispute has widened the divide between the Spanish government and the basic opposition over border security and national sovereignty. The PP’s accusations of negligence and capitulation reflect broader concerns about Spain’s ability to control its borders and the EU’s willingness to support member states when migration is used as a tool of pressure. The opposition says the government’s silence and lack of decisive action risk undermining public confidence and could set a precedent for future crises. The Ceuta episode has exposed the vulnerability of Europe’s southern border and the need for a coordinated response grounded in conditions on the ground.
