The Partido Popular has stepped up its campaign against Pedro Sánchez by taking the Ceuta migrant crisis to the European stage. This week, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo will visit Ceuta with Manfred Weber, head of the European People's Party. It will be Feijóo's fourth trip to the city since the mass border crossing a month and a half ago. The visit is intended to draw attention in Brussels as the European Parliament prepares to debate and vote on a resolution about Ceuta, added to the agenda at the PP's request. Information from European Parliament documents, the plenary debate is set for September 15, 2026, with a vote on September 17. It will focus on Ceuta and hybrid attacks, as well as the need for a coordinated EU response to protect external borders. The European Parliament's official agenda connects the debate to the mass arrival of migrants at the end of July 2026 and the resulting humanitarian and security situation. The EPRS identifies the mass influx on July 30 and 31, 2026, as the trigger for the European response, naming those dates as the starting point for the crisis and subsequent debates.
The PP has turned the crisis into a political tool nationally and locally. Ceuta's long-serving president, Juan Jesús Vivas, has become a basic figure in the party's campaign. His recent appearance on El Hormiguero was treated as a major local event: business leaders funded a large outdoor screen, while street celebrations drew attention. The party wants to keep the spotlight on Sánchez's handling of the border emergency. Information from Euronews, Vivas has also traveled to Brussels to meet three European Commissioners and several MEPs, asking the EU for help returning undocumented migrants and restoring normal life in Ceuta.
Recent CIS polling shows the political stakes. The PSOE's estimated vote share has fallen two points since July, to 31 percent. The PP has gained four tenths, reaching 25.5 percent. Vox has recorded the biggest jump, rising from 15.3 to 16.6 percent. Despite this, the PP continues to focus on damaging the Socialists, even as the far right gains most from the crisis. Several Spanish media outlets and the latest CIS barometer confirm that Vox, not the PP, has made the biggest gains.
The PP is working to keep the crisis in the European spotlight. Feijóo's planned meeting in Madrid with Magnus Brunner, the EU's Commissioner for Interior and Migration, is part of that effort. Brunner, who has echoed PP talking points before, recently called Ceuta's border a "common EU frontier" and said people without legal status must be returned to Morocco. The PP expects Brunner's statements and the upcoming European Parliament debate to bolster its position and increase pressure on the Spanish government. The ECR Group, representing European conservatives, has called for a tough response. Its Strasbourg agenda highlights the need for investigation and action, and estimates that about 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta.
The PP is also active at home. On Tuesday, the party will present a motion in the Senate outlining its plan for Ceuta. It will address security and migration through measures on border management and relations with Morocco. The motion will also set out economic measures and the role of the Spanish state. The party's leaders have said they will not support relocating migrants from Ceuta to the mainland, even temporarily. "Morocco's social policy is not Spain's responsibility," PP spokesperson Borja Sémper said, reiterating the party's refusal to accept transfers of migrants or minors. The PP says humanitarian aid and protection must come first, but that returns to Morocco are the only sustainable solution.
The European Parliament's debate on Ceuta will also consider how the EU defends its external borders against hybrid attacks, including the role of Frontex. The PP is counting on a conservative shift in European migration policy to strengthen its position at home. Its strategy is to keep the crisis alive in Madrid and Brussels, using every institutional tool available.
This approach has drawn criticism. As reported earlier, the PSOE has accused the PP of exploiting Ceuta's turmoil for electoral gain, leaving local authorities and residents caught in the middle. The standoff has stretched the city's resources and left its future uncertain, with no immediate resolution.
The PP is running a calculated campaign to present Ceuta's crisis as evidence of government weakness to Spanish voters and European partners. By refusing to share the burden of migrant relocation and focusing on returns to Morocco, the party is taking a harder line that aligns with Europe's broader conservative shift. Using local hardship for political advantage may pay off at the polls, but it leaves Ceuta's residents and migrants in limbo as the power struggle continues in Madrid and Brussels.
