The Spanish government has initiated the deployment of additional military personnel and police officers to its North African enclave of Ceuta. This move follows a sudden surge in migration, with thousands of individuals swimming and wading into the territory from neighboring Morocco within a few hours on Thursday. Footage from Tarajal beach captured crowds navigating breakwaters and moving quickly across local roads and beaches. While the majority appeared to be young men, the groups also included families with women and children, some of whom were heard shouting “Viva España!” to observers.
A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil, the force responsible for border security, confirmed that migrants were arriving in massive numbers via the sea at the Tarajal breakwater. While exact figures remain difficult to verify, the Spanish national broadcaster TVE estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 people had successfully crossed. The state news agency Efe reported that others gained entry by scaling the high perimeter fencing. Rachid Sbihi, who leads the association representing Guardia Civil officers in Ceuta, described the situation as “absolute chaos,” noting that the border had “totally collapsed.” Agence France-Presse reported that 19 bodies have been recovered in the aftermath.
Achraf Maimouni of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights characterized the event as “exceptional,” noting that the Tarajal border had opened under unusual circumstances earlier that morning. In response, Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, called for urgent reinforcements to ensure the safety of citizens and the integrity of the frontier, while also requesting that the central government declare a national emergency. Vivas had previously warned on Wednesday that local reception centers were already at capacity, with many people sleeping in the streets.
The Spanish interior ministry confirmed the deployment of 60 armed forces members and 30 additional Guardia Civil officers to bolster security. However, the government declined the request for a national emergency, stating that such a designation is reserved for dire meteorological events, volcanic activity, or nuclear threats rather than migration crises. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to visit Ceuta on Friday alongside interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. Sánchez stated that the government is mobilizing all necessary resources and coordinating with Moroccan and international authorities to restore order, noting that the situation echoes the border crisis in 2021 when more than 8,000 people arrived in just two days.
Political reactions have been sharp. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition People’s party, labeled the event a “national security crisis,” while Santiago Abascal of the far-right Vox party described the entry as an “invasion.” Conversely, Moroccan government sources attributed the surge to the activities of “criminal organisations,” emphasizing that their cooperation with Spain remains exemplary. This incident follows a recent ruling by Spain’s supreme court, which held that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach the enclaves could not be summarily returned under the special border regime.
Most appeared to be young men, but there were also families with women and children. “Viva España!” some shouted to a freelance photographer working for the Associated Press, who was filming the scene.
The Guardia Civil spokesperson told Reuters: “It has been a slow trickle since the supreme court’s ruling, but today has been an explosion.”
