The Spanish government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has ordered the urgent deployment of military units and additional police forces in the North African enclave of Ceuta. The decision comes after a dramatic 24-hour period in which between 2,000 and 3,000 illegal migrants stormed the land border and maritime facilities, causing a complete collapse of the local reception system.
According to information from world agencies (sources: Reuters, Associated Press, BTA), the situation in Ceuta has been assessed as an "absolute humanitarian and social emergency".
The drama in Ceuta: Collapse and victims along the border
The pressure on Ceuta has intensified sharply over the past 24 hours, with hundreds of men, women and entire families with children attempting to bypass the "Tarajal" breakwater by swimming in wetsuits and inflatables, while others stormed the border fences on land.
Regional authorities confirmed that rescue teams had found the bodies of at least nine migrants who died at sea while trying to reach European soil. Ceuta Mayor Juan Jesús Vivas warned that reception centres were over 1,600% full, with hundreds of people forced to sleep on the streets of the autonomous city. Local businesses in the city centre have closed for security reasons, and shop owners have organised self-defence groups.
Military mobilisation and measures from Madrid
The Spanish Interior Ministry said three platoons of specialised army units, a warship and specialised diving units were already arriving in the enclave to reinforce the Civil Guard. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska are arriving on site today to coordinate border security.
Madrid and Rabat have already announced the launch of an accelerated deportation procedure for those who have entered Spanish territory illegally. Moroccan security forces have deployed water cannons in the border town of Fnidek and are cooperating with Spanish authorities to prevent further mass crossings.
Political upheaval: Court ruling and Schengen in question
Experts say the sharp escalation of the migrant crisis is a direct consequence of a recent ruling by Spain's Supreme Court. Magistrates ruled that migrants caught at sea trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be subjected to express returns at the border (so-called “hot returns“), which Spanish authorities say have been exploited by criminal human trafficking networks.
The crisis quickly gained international resonance. Italy, through its Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, criticized Spain's migration policy and called for the country to be temporarily excluded from the visa-free Schengen area, and Rome is considering introducing permanent border controls for arrivals from Spanish airports and ports.