Spain has deployed military units to the North African enclave of Ceuta after thousands of migrants crossed from neighbouring Morocco by land and sea in one of the most significant border surges since the 2021 migration crisis, overwhelming local authorities and prompting urgent security reinforcements.
The dramatic escalation unfolded on Thursday as large crowds breached border barriers, swam around coastal breakwaters and entered the Spanish territory, forcing the government in Madrid to send members of the Armed Forces to support the Civil Guard in restoring order.
According to reports, at least nine people died during the crossings, while thousands more successfully entered the enclave, creating scenes of chaos that have reignited concerns over migration, border security and cooperation between Spain and Morocco.
Spanish state broadcaster TVE estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta on Thursday alone, although officials acknowledged that the rapidly changing situation made it difficult to determine an exact figure.
Video footage from the border showed hundreds of people mostly young men but also women and children walking around the Tarajal beach breakwaters and making their way into Spanish territory.
The crisis prompted Ceuta’s regional government to appeal directly to Madrid for additional support, warning that local resources had become overwhelmed after migrant reception centres exceeded capacity and hundreds of new arrivals were forced to sleep outdoors.
The Spanish government responded to the issue by deploying military personnel to help police maintain city security. “The Armed Forces will reinforce the Civil Guard to maintain security in Ceuta,” the government stated, adding that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska would visit the enclave to inspect the situation firsthand.
Moreover, Rachid Sbihi, head of the association representing Civil Guard officers stationed at the border, described the situation as an “absolute chaos,”
He noted that, “it’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing,“ adding that, the border had “totally collapsed.”
Across the frontier in Morocco, human rights observers also characterised the situation as highly unusual.
Achraf Maimouni, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in northern Morocco, explained that the opening of the Tarajal crossing had occurred under exceptional circumstances.
According to Achraf Maimouni, “the Tarajal border was opened under unusual circumstances this morning and people crossed.“
Although the exact cause of the mass migration is unknown, migrant arrivals had already surged significantly the day before as more people attempted to swim into Ceuta from surrounding Moroccan coastal towns.
The humanitarian crisis has also brought attention back to Spain’s position as one of Europe’s main entry points for migrants escaping poverty, conflict, and economic hardship throughout Africa and beyond. Ceuta and the neighbouring Spanish enclave of Melilla serve as the European Union’s only land border with Africa, making them popular destinations for migrants seeking to reach mainland Europe.
Pressure Mounts on Spain as Ceuta Migrant Surge Sparks Political Tensions
As pressure mounted on the Spanish authorities, Madrid insisted it was working closely with Morocco to contain the crisis while accelerating the return of migrants who entered the North African enclave illegally.
Spain’s Interior Ministry said Moroccan security forces were actively preventing further crossings and intercepting numerous people attempting to reach Ceuta. It added that both governments had agreed to cooperate “for the return, as soon as possible, of all the people who entered Ceuta illegally.”
Moroccan authorities have yet to publicly explain the sudden surge in crossings, and the country’s Interior Ministry did not immediately comment on the developments.
The influx has nevertheless fuelled speculation over what triggered the movement. Officials in Ceuta have pointed to a recent ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court, which found that migrants arriving by sea cannot be returned immediately without due legal process. The judgment, however, does not apply to those entering by land, including migrants who scale or breach the border fence.
Some migration advocates in Morocco questioned whether the court ruling had any significant influence, arguing that most migrants were unlikely to have known about the decision before making the journey.
The crisis has also sparked political reactions beyond Spain. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned that Italy could suspend the Schengen open-border arrangements with Spain if migration pressures continued to intensify, stating such action would be necessary to “defend our borders and ensure the safety of our citizens.”
Within Spain, Ceuta regional President Juan Jesús Vivas renewed calls for the central government to declare a national emergency on national security grounds. He urged the Spanish government to deploy additional police officers and military personnel to reinforce border security.
A day earlier, Vivas had warned that reception centres were already operating beyond capacity after more than 1,500 migrants entered Ceuta during the previous week.
Spain’s Interior Ministry rejected calls to declare a national emergency, stating that existing legislation does not classify migration flows as a national security threat. Instead, it said government agencies were “coordinating to respond with speed and efficacy to the situation in Ceuta.”
The latest surge has inevitably drawn comparisons with the May 2021 migration crisis, when more than 8,000 migrants entered Ceuta in just two days after Morocco was accused of easing border controls during a diplomatic dispute with Spain over Western Sahara.
That episode severely strained relations between Madrid and Rabat before cooperation on migration gradually improved in subsequent years.
Whether the current developments represent another short-lived surge or the beginning of a sustained increase in migration remains uncertain.
For now, Spanish security forces continue to patrol Ceuta’s coastline and border crossings while humanitarian agencies assist exhausted arrivals, as political leaders face mounting pressure to balance robust border enforcement with their humanitarian obligations.
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