{"id":553682,"date":"2026-07-31T21:32:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T21:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/553682\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T21:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T21:32:17","slug":"60000-migrants-cross-into-spanish-territory-most-leave-voluntarily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/553682\/","title":{"rendered":"60,000 migrants cross into Spanish territory, most leave voluntarily"},"content":{"rendered":"

About 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain\u2019s tiny Ceuta territory in the past 24 hours, Ceuta’s president said Friday, a figure that is equivalent to 70% of the population of the city in North Africa. At least 57 migrants died on the journey.<\/p>\n

But most of the people who made the crossing<\/a> soon returned voluntarily, the Spanish government said, after the sudden arrival of so many migrants triggered chaos and a humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n

Some migrants swam several miles through the sea and faced down authorities who tried to turn them back with water cannons, tear gas and warning shots. Those who died included some who drowned or were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier near a border checkpoint.<\/p>\n

Spain deployed its armed forces and additional police to restore order in Ceuta, which sits on the Strait of Gibraltar at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea and has been a Spanish possession since 1580. On the Moroccan side of the border, security forces clashed with migrants. The chaos also had ripple effects abroad, with Italy and France pledging to tighten their controls on people arriving from Spain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe situation that Ceuta is going through is absolutely unsustainable,\u201d Ceuta President Juan Jes\u00fas Vivas told journalists.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, migrants from Morocco also attempted to cross into Melilla, Spain\u2019s other territory at the tip of North Africa, where they clashed with police.<\/p>\n

Spanish prime minister condemns border breach<\/p>\n

\"Migrants<\/p>\n

Migrants rest outside the Temporary Center for Immigrants (CETI) after crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Friday, July 31, 2026. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez visited Ceuta and condemned the border breach, which he described as \u201ca violation of Spain’s territorial integrity\u201d.<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez blamed human smugglers for the crisis, saying they \u201cdeceive so many young people and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths”, whether in the ocean or in the city.<\/p>\n

The Spanish Interior Ministry released its own figures shortly after Vivas spoke, estimating that some 50,000 people had crossed from Morocco. It added that 48,300 had already returned to Morocco by Friday evening (local time), with hundreds more going back by the hour.<\/p>\n

Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers, described the situation as a \u201cserious humanitarian crisis,\u201d saying thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, were left sleeping in parks and on sidewalks, while others roamed the streets aimlessly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s chaotic,\u201d Sbihi said.<\/p>\n

The Moroccan Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the migrant figures released by the Spanish authorities.<\/p>\n

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the images from Ceuta “are unacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules,\u201d she said Friday in an online statement. \u201cDangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dozens died in the chaos<\/p>\n

\"Spanish<\/p>\n

Spanish police officers respond as migrants cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Some of the 57 people who died had drowned, Sbihi said, but some were also killed in a stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal Beach, an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco. The waters near the border fence were littered with buoys, shoes and other abandoned belongings.<\/p>\n

Many young Moroccans who crossed into Ceuta told The Associated Press that they had hoped to find better work opportunities in Spain but were returning given the mayhem in Ceuta.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing at home. I\u2019d have to work 12-hour shifts for a meager wage. That\u2019s why I came here,\u201d said 21-year-old Abdulah Buji, who hails from the city of Tetouan. \u201cBut I haven\u2019t found any opportunities here either, so I have to go back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moroccan police used water cannons and fired warning shots into the air to prevent migrants from crossing into Ceuta, according to rights groups in Morocco.<\/p>\n

Morocco\u2019s ambassador to Spain said the situation in Ceuta had unfolded against Morocco\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have always prioritised legal, orderly and safe migration for all,\u201d Karima Benyaich said. She did not comment on what prompted the migrants to cross into Ceuta.<\/p>\n

To reach Ceuta, on the northern African coast, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about 5 kilometres to reach Spanish territory. Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.<\/p>\n

Border surge linked to Supreme Court ruling<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A migrant runs from Spanish police officers as they cordon off access to the beach for people crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Friday, July 31, 2026. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

The authorities in Ceuta and Madrid have linked the border surge to a recent decision by the Spanish Supreme Court, which ruled that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported, unlike those who cross by land or climb the border fence.<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez said migrant smugglers misinterpreted the ruling.<\/p>\n

The interpretation of the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling \u201cspread like wildfire over the past few hours through the networks of human trafficking organisations,\u201d triggering the surge, S\u00e1nchez said.<\/p>\n

Spain has bucked anti-immigration trend<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez has bucked the anti-migration trend that has gained ground across Europe and in the US<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, his government moved to give residency and work permits to hundreds of thousands of migrants already living in the country without permission.<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez, a Socialist, argued that it would be good for the economy and the demographics of an ageing Spain. Migrants who entered irregularly after January 1 this year were not included.<\/p>\n

\"Belongings<\/p>\n

Belongings left behind by migrants float in the sea after they crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Friday, July 31, 2026. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

His critics have jumped at the opportunity to attack his policy, saying it encouraged more migrants to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cS\u00e1nchez allows Spain to be invaded through Ceuta,\u201d Spanish conservative politician Isabel D\u00edaz Ayuso wrote on X.<\/p>\n

The US expressed its support for \u201cthe people of Spain, and all Europeans, against this egregious violation of their sovereignty and human rights\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a post on X, the State Department added that \u201cthis unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government\u2019s deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe\u201d.<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez defended his migration policy and distanced it from the events in Ceuta.<\/p>\n

In the tumult, Italy temporarily suspended its open-border Schengen agreement with Spain, re-imposing border controls for air and sea. The Interior Ministry said the decision amounted to a \u201cclosure\u201d of the borders, but experts said it was merely a resumption of border controls. The agreement allows travellers to fly between the two countries without presenting passports.<\/p>\n

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said France would also strengthen border checks with Spain.<\/p>\n

The crisis in Ceuta “has nothing to do with the regularisation of migrants adopted by the Government of Spain, as is being falsely claimed by some,\u201d the Spanish government said in a statement late Thursday (local time) after Meloni’s announcement.<\/p>\n

Pressure grows on second Spanish territory in Africa<\/p>\n

Migrants from Morocco also attempted to cross into Melilla, the other Spanish territory at the tip of North Africa.<\/p>\n

There was widespread chaos in Bni Nsar, the Moroccan town bordering the Spanish territory, where migrants clashed with police, throwing rocks and setting police vehicles ablaze, according to local media and rights groups. They reported injuries among security forces and the arrest of dozens of people attempting to cross.<\/p>\n

Like Ceuta, Melilla is a self-governing Spanish city. Many Moroccans consider both cities to be occupied territory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"About 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain\u2019s tiny Ceuta territory in the past 24 hours, Ceuta’s president…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":553683,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[190,42,917,43,40,38,41,39,1745],"class_list":["post-553682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-africa","tag-headlines","tag-immigration","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-uk-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=553682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/553683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=553682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=553682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=553682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}