Spain's Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, said no migrants who had entered Ceuta irregularly had reached the Spanish mainland. Speaking in Ceuta after meeting with the city's president, he said everyone who crossed the border illegally would be returned to Morocco, citing Rabat's explicit commitment to repatriation.
The announcement followed the unprecedented influx of more than 70,000 people from Morocco into Ceuta over two days at the end of July. Independent reporting dated the surge to 30 and 31 July 2026. Most people returned to Morocco within hours, while thousands, including unaccompanied minors, remained in Ceuta for weeks. Albares described Ceuta's border as the most complex in Spain and Europe, but said the integrity of the Schengen Area remained protected in both Ceuta and Melilla. He said no one had left Ceuta for the peninsula and that they would not be able to do so, addressing concerns among Spanish and European authorities about secondary movements.
Albares did not specify a timeline for returning all irregular entrants. He acknowledged that Spanish law and judicial rulings must be respected, while saying that restoring normality in Ceuta and ensuring the swift return of minors were top priorities. Daily discussions with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita continued, and Albares said Morocco was fully willing to cooperate on returns.
The government was processing returns and reinforcing border controls. It was also deepening cooperation with Morocco while seeking greater European Union involvement in Ceuta's future. On 20 October, the Spanish government reported that 12,705 people had returned to Morocco since 10 August, including 12,142 voluntary returns and 536 expulsions. It also reported creating 7,477 temporary accommodation places and clearing large coastal settlements at Trampolín, Benítez and Guano. Smaller urban encampments continued to be dismantled. The figures showed an operation still underway months after the July crossings, not a process that ended immediately after the surge.
Albares said Morocco had not demanded concessions in exchange for accepting its citizens back, and that Rabat's cooperation had made the rapid return of thousands possible. The government's figures also show that returns followed distinct channels. In a 20 October briefing, government spokesperson María Jesús Montero said 3,331 minors remained in Ceuta's regional protection system; 107 had been transferred to mainland Spain through family-reunification procedures, while 181 had been relocated to other autonomous communities under Article 35 of Spain's Immigration Law. The government said 63 cases involving minors had been referred to Morocco.
These later figures qualify Albares's statement about onward movement: the government recorded transfers of minors to mainland Spain and other autonomous communities after the surge. Reuters separately reported that 262 minors had been transferred to mainland Spain since the July crossings. The government also said most adults still in Ceuta were housed in facilities provided by the General State Administration. Reuters estimated that roughly 7,000 to 8,000 people remained in Ceuta, spread across informal locations and shelters or facilities run by civil-society groups. Authorities were seeking to reduce the backlog through voluntary returns and faster asylum processing.
Spain's Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said the government had received up to 1,200 asylum applications and resolved 700. He rejected allegations of covert deportations, saying, “There are no covert deportations under any circumstances,” and describing the returns as voluntary. The government used voluntary returns and expulsions, while also processing asylum claims. Family reunification and relocation formed separate pathways. Authorities were accelerating asylum procedures as they worked to reduce the backlog, amid questions about maintaining legal safeguards under pressure.
Albares's statements circulated among migrants in Ceuta, many of whom feared imminent deportation. Uncertainty among minors about Morocco's willingness to accept them gave way to anxiety as the Spanish government's position and Rabat's cooperation became clear. Albares also addressed people still in Morocco or elsewhere in Africa, warning them against risking their lives and resources in attempts to enter Ceuta or Melilla. He said irregular entrants would be returned and would not reach the peninsula or Europe.
On the diplomatic front, Albares contrasted Spain's approach with Italy's, saying Spain had the lowest number of irregular arrivals among Mediterranean EU states while Italy had the highest. He criticized the Italian government's lack of solidarity during the Ceuta crisis and suggested its position might reflect domestic political interests rather than European unity. The dispute echoes recent tensions over extradition cases, including the high-profile situation involving a US activist in Ibiza, which has also drawn attention to Spain's handling of international legal and migration issues. See the detailed coverage on Spain's extradition decisions in politically sensitive cases.
Ceuta and Melilla, Spain's two North African enclaves, have long faced migration pressure because of their land borders with Morocco. The Schengen Area allows passport-free travel across much of Europe, while the enclaves' border arrangements make migration management a persistent challenge. The crisis intensified calls for a coordinated EU response and highlighted the importance of bilateral cooperation with Morocco. As Spain works to restore order in Ceuta, the government faces scrutiny over returns and legal safeguards for minors, alongside the wider implications for European migration policy.
