The Partido Popular (PP) has stepped up its criticism of the Spanish government after the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta, holding Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responsible for what it calls a failure of migration policy. Reports put the scale of the 30 and 31 July episode differently: the account cited in the political debate recorded more than 40,000 arrivals, while the Geneva International Commission on Justice and Human Rights (GICJ) reported more than 72,000 crossings and Politico described more than 70,000 arrivals within 48 hours. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused the government of responding too slowly and inadequately to what he called an unprecedented situation. The party is demanding an overhaul of Spain’s immigration law and has formally requested Sánchez’s urgent appearance before Congress to explain the government’s handling of the crisis.
Feijóo, echoing the concerns of Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, has called on the central government to declare the situation in Ceuta one of “interest for National Security.” The PP says the current legal structure cannot meet the challenge, particularly after Spain’s Supreme Court ruling 814/2026 restricted use of the “border rejection” procedure for people intercepted at sea. The ruling interprets the tenth additional provision of Spain’s Aliens Act, which ties border rejection in Ceuta and Melilla to attempts to overcome designated physical containment structures. The court distinguished those barriers from maritime surveillance: people intercepted in open water or after reaching the coast generally fall under ordinary return or expulsion procedures, with individual case processing and safeguards.
Those procedures include identification, legal assistance, an interpreter and the chance to seek asylum, information from the GICJ’s account of the ruling. The PP argues that the law should be amended to allow border rejection for maritime arrivals in Ceuta and Melilla as well. That proposal would change which statutory procedure applies at sea. The existing judgment, by contrast, places maritime arrivals outside the structure for people attempting to cross a physical border barrier.
Throughout Thursday, PP officials criticized what they called the government’s lack of resolve. Feijóo warned that repeated “irresponsible decisions” on migration could trigger further crises, while party spokesperson Borja Sémper said the situation went beyond migration and urged decisive action to protect citizens. The party’s parliamentary group registered a request for an extraordinary session in Congress, seeking Sánchez’s explanation of the government’s response. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights said the arrivals “put the balance between protecting fundamental rights and safeguarding the EU’s external borders to the test.”
The PP also wants the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, deployed in the area to reinforce border controls. Its proposal comes amid a wider debate about border security and the procedural rights of people arriving by sea, as well as the capacity to process their cases. The sudden mass movement also raised concerns that arrivals could be used to pressure the EU’s external borders. That concern has featured in the debate about the episode.
PP leaders say the gravity of the situation requires Parliament to remain active. Cuca Gamarra, the party’s deputy secretary for Institutional Regeneration, said Congress could not remain closed while national sovereignty was at risk. Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso accused Sánchez on social media of allowing an “invasion” through Ceuta to distract from his own legal troubles. Her claim was a political accusation. The same day, her administration announced the sale of a luxury penthouse previously used as an office.
The crisis put large strain on local police and border forces. As reported in recent coverage of police warnings about operational collapse, authorities called for urgent legal and resource changes to cope with the influx. The Interior Ministry promised reinforcements, but disputes over legal powers and political responsibility continued to dominate the national debate.
The effects reached beyond the immediate border emergency. In October, Ceuta’s government said more than 7,000 people remained in camps following the July arrivals and sought additional personnel and resources to process return and expulsion cases, along with applications for international protection. Ceuta’s Council of Government decided to bring a contentious-administrative action before the Supreme Court, alleging inaction by the basic administration. Ceuta TV reported that no returns had taken place under the process sought by the city, apart from voluntary returns and expulsions connected with criminal offences. El Español reported that the central government replied to Ceuta’s formal request after the deadline, without setting a timetable for returns or detailing the status of individual cases.
Ceuta’s position as a Spanish enclave on the North African coast has long made it a focal point for migration policy. Along with Melilla, it is subject to special border controls and legal provisions. The PP’s demands now confront the Supreme Court’s distinction between rejection at a physical border barrier and ordinary procedures for maritime arrivals. The government’s response will shape the continuing dispute over border management and administrative resources, as well as the safeguards afforded to people seeking protection in Spain.
