Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has summoned the National Security Council for an urgent session this Tuesday in response to the unresolved crisis in Ceuta, which erupted at the end of July. Between 29 and 31 July, around 80,000 migrants and asylum seekers arrived in the Spanish enclave, information from an analysis by the University of Edinburgh’s Refugee Law Initiative. The meeting comes 26 days after the mass arrival overwhelmed local resources and left thousands, including unaccompanied minors, in Ceuta. The situation remains critical, with no clear timeline for normalization.
The council will convene at 8:30 a.m., before the first Cabinet meeting following the summer break. Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, will join remotely. The meeting precedes a series of parliamentary hearings where ministers must explain the government’s handling of the crisis. Defense Minister Margarita Robles is scheduled to appear first. The ministers of Justice and Health will follow, then the ministers of Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Inclusion throughout the week. The Minister of Youth will testify the following Monday.
The meeting comes amid political tension. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has repeatedly denied the existence of a prior intelligence report from the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI) warning of a possible mass arrival. His stance has drawn criticism, prompting Defense Minister Robles to strongly defend the intelligence service. Grande-Marlaska later sought to defuse the controversy, saying that not every incident implies direct responsibility.
The National Security Council advises the prime minister on matters affecting Spain’s security. Its members will include Sánchez, vice presidents Carlos Cuerpo, Yolanda Díaz, and Sara Aagesen, along with basic ministers and senior officials such as CNI director Esperanza Casteleiro and Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Teodoro Esteban. King Felipe VI may also preside if he chooses. The council typically meets at least every two months, though extraordinary sessions can be called when national security is at stake.
The scale of the arrival immediately strained reception and protection services. Most of those who crossed had returned to Morocco by the first week of August, but thousands, including unaccompanied minors, remained in Ceuta for weeks. A formal coordination and crisis-management mechanism covering humanitarian assistance and social services, as well as border management, security, international cooperation, and returns, was established on 25 August, after the mass arrival, according to the Refugee Law Initiative’s analysis.
On Monday, several migrants remained camped on Ceuta’s El Trampolín beach. Their presence underscored the continuing humanitarian challenge. The crisis has also prompted political scrutiny, with the government preparing to defend its actions in Congress. As noted in a recent analysis by russpain.com, the unresolved influx has exposed deep divisions and forced the executive to face tough questions from lawmakers.
Prime Minister Sánchez later argued that cooperation with Morocco was necessary to manage irregular migration and prevent large-scale arrivals in Ceuta and Melilla. Speaking to Spain’s lower house on 3 September, he said authorities had faced a choice between temporarily allowing crossings and using force, which he argued could have led to more deaths. Morocco World News reported that Spanish authorities recorded 141 deaths during the July crossings, including among people attempting to reach Ceuta by sea.
The National Security Council last met in April, when it approved the 2025 Annual Security Report. The document warned of rising migratory pressure on Ceuta and Melilla, pointing to the dangerous trend of migrants attempting to swim around border fences. It also recorded a 43% decrease in arrivals compared with 2024, while warning that misinformation linking migration to public insecurity could stoke social tensions.
Later government figures offer another snapshot of the response. At a briefing on 19 October, Inclusion Minister and government spokesperson Elma Saiz reported 12,705 returns to Morocco since 10 August and 7,477 places made available in temporary accommodation. The government also reported that 3,331 minors remained in Ceuta’s regional protection system. Of those, 107 had been transferred to mainland Spain through family reunification, while 181 had been relocated to other autonomous communities under Article 35 of Spain’s immigration law. The briefing also recorded 11,375 surveillance and information patrols, with 5,237 personnel deployed in the city.
Those official figures sit alongside a different estimate of unmet accommodation needs. Reuters reported on 19 October that migrant-support organizations estimated roughly 7,000 to 8,000 people remained dispersed across Ceuta, sleeping outdoors or relying on facilities run by charities and civil-society groups. The government, meanwhile, said most adult migrants still in Ceuta were housed in facilities provided by the General State Administration. On 20 October, the government declared a “Situation of National Security Interest” in Ceuta and announced a strengthened coordination structure to manage reception and returns, alongside security and cooperation among administrations. It described the structure as “clear evidence that there has been no inaction” by government services.
Ceuta’s position as a gateway to Europe makes it a focal point for migration flows and a test case for national security policy. Madrid and governments across the EU are watching Spain’s response as it seeks to balance humanitarian obligations with border control and public order.
