The Spanish government has formally requested that four senior ministers appear before Congress to address the migration emergency in Ceuta. The hearings were scheduled after more than 70,000 people entered the Spanish autonomous city from Morocco on July 30 and 31, 2026, crossing by sea and through the Tarajal area. Ceuta has slightly more than 80,000 residents; the influx far exceeded the approximately 10,000 arrivals recorded there over 48 hours during the 2021 crisis.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, Defence Minister Margarita Robles and Presidency Minister Félix Bolaños were each due to testify before parliamentary committees. Under the government’s proposal, Robles would appear on August 25, Bolaños on August 27, and Grande-Marlaska and Albares on August 28. The hearings were intended to address the government’s handling of the emergency and its broader migration policy.
The Presidency Ministry said holding the appearances in Congress, rather than dividing them between the two chambers, would avoid duplication and reflect the gravity of the issue. The government stressed transparency and factual reporting amid what it described as misinformation and xenophobic rhetoric. Bolaños also emphasized the importance of facts and openness in a message on X.
The opposition Partido Popular (PP) had requested appearances by several ministers in both Congress and the Senate. It also called for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to explain cooperation with Morocco and measures to manage irregular migration. The scale of the influx became a point of dispute: the central government figure cited in later reporting was 72,000 entries, while a subsequent internal report by the Government of Ceuta estimated 96,058. That figure was an accumulated administrative estimate, not a verified count of unique individuals. Grande-Marlaska acknowledged the 72,000 figure before Congress on August 28, while Ceuta’s estimate was more than 24,000 higher.
The parliamentary initiative came amid heightened political and diplomatic tension. The Government of Ceuta’s higher estimate intensified disagreement over the scale of the emergency and the adequacy of the response, while migrants’ continued presence strained accommodation and public services. By mid-to-late October, Reuters reported that an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people remained scattered across the city, including people sleeping rough or relying on charities and civil-society groups. The report said local social services were overwhelmed.
The government’s response included arranging returns to Morocco and placing adults in facilities provided by the General State Administration. La Moncloa said more than 12,700 people had returned between August 10 and October 20. Its published figures listed 12,705 returns since August 10, including 12,142 voluntary returns and 536 expulsions. The government also reported that 83% of migrants housed in designated facilities had been vaccinated. At a briefing on October 20, it said 100 of Ceuta’s 211 hospital beds were occupied, including 20 by migrants.
The legal status of the returns was also contested. Grande-Marlaska rejected allegations of covert removals, telling Reuters: “There are no covert deportations under any circumstances.” He said asylum applications had been received in Ceuta; Reuters reported that up to 1,200 applications had been filed and 700 resolved. The dispute focused on the scale of the returns and whether people seeking protection could access asylum procedures.
Morocco has rejected claims that it used migration as use, instead attributing the surge to a Spanish Supreme Court decision that allegedly weakened border controls. For further background on Morocco’s position and the legal context, see this analysis: Morocco’s response to the Ceuta migration surge.
Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast, has long been a focal point for migration from Africa to Europe. Its proximity to Morocco makes it a frequent flashpoint in Spain’s migration debates. The influx and competing estimates added pressure on the national government, while questions about returns fueled calls for parliamentary scrutiny. The ministerial hearings were intended to clarify the government’s border strategy and migration policy, including cooperation with Morocco.
