The Spanish government is sending three more ministers to Congress to explain how they handled the recent migrant surge in Ceuta, bringing sharper political scrutiny to the crisis. Mónica García, Minister of Health, Elma Sáiz, Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, and Sira Rego, Minister of Youth and Children, have each requested to appear before their respective parliamentary commissions. Their appearances are scheduled for the final week of August: García on the 27th and Sáiz on the 28th, while Rego is finalizing her date.
The scrutiny follows the mass entry into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July. The scale of the episode is itself disputed. Figures later presented by the autonomous-city administration put the number of people who entered at at least 96,058, while Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska reportedly told Congress on 28 August that there had been approximately 72,000 entries. The same account said about 73,000 people left Ceuta in an organized, collective movement between 1 and 8 August.
The opposition Partido Popular (PP) has demanded detailed explanations, particularly from the Ministry of Health, after filing a series of formal requests for information and clarification. The government says the appearances reflect the seriousness of the situation and the need for thorough preparation, rather than a response to PP's tactics in the Senate. Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas, meanwhile, said the city's accommodation capacity for unaccompanied minors had risen from 180 to 800 in the week before the mass entry. He said he had asked the central government for help, including additional police, an Army deployment and emergency measures.
The upcoming sessions will add to those already confirmed for other basic ministers. Starting August 25, Fernando Grande-Marlaska (Interior), José Manuel Albares (Foreign Affairs), Margarita Robles (Defence), and Félix Bolaños (Presidency and Justice) will also address Congress on the Ceuta issue. The coordinated appearances are intended to give a comprehensive account of the state's response, covering security and migration alongside public services and relations with Morocco.
The government has cited returns and accommodation measures as evidence that it mobilized resources after the crisis. Between 10 August and 20 October, more than 12,700 people returned to Morocco. Figures attributed to Migration Minister Elma Sáiz listed 12,142 voluntary returns and 536 expulsions, while the reported overall total was 12,702. On 23 October, Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said 13,101 people had been returned since 10 August. He also said an ongoing operation in Ceuta’s Príncipe neighborhood was addressing the presence of roughly 200 migrants in private properties, including homes, garages and rooftops. He described the operation as “discreet and careful.”
Political tensions have risen sharply, especially between PP officials and the central government. Vivas has stepped up his criticism, accusing the government of “almost absolute passivity” and suggesting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez might be willing to cede sovereignty to Morocco. He also said the government “had information about what was going to happen and did nothing,” and warned that he could turn to the judiciary if the situation did not improve. Vivas has described the central government’s response as a failure to meet its constitutional obligations and said the rights of Ceuta residents had been significantly diminished for about three months. The wider institutional clash over the Senate hearings is examined in this detailed report.
Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the North African coast, has long been a focal point for migration from Morocco and beyond. The July influx has renewed debate over border security and the humanitarian response, as well as Spain’s diplomatic relations with Morocco. The ministerial appearances are intended to address public concern and political opposition. Return figures and the ongoing accommodation operation show that the crisis’s effects continued for months after the mass entry. The dispute also reflects the shared responsibilities of local authorities and the central government in managing migration at Spain’s external borders.
