More than 1,500 migrants have reached Ceuta by sea in recent days, overwhelming the Spanish enclave’s reception system as hundreds more continue attempting to swim across from Morocco.
Ceuta President Juan Vivas described the situation as “serious” on Wednesday, saying both the Temporary Immigrant Detention Center, known as the CETI, and shelters for unaccompanied minors were full.
“There’s no room for anyone else, and more than 200 people are arriving every day,” Vivas said, as cited by El Mundo.
The CETI has an official capacity of 512 people but was already housing around 700 by Tuesday. Hundreds more were waiting outside, with migrants sleeping on roads, Red Cross blankets or beneath makeshift shelters made from sheets and cardboard.
La Gaceta reported that more than 400 people were camped outside the facility, while El Mundo put the number waiting beyond the center’s gates at between 800 and 1,000.
🇪🇸 Ceuta is once again being overwhelmed by illegal migrants, and the local government is demanding that Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declare a national emergency.
Spain's Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that migrants who arrive by sea cannot be pushed… pic.twitter.com/DrLeiTgYoz
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) July 30, 2026Between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning alone, Maritime Rescue and the Red Cross rescued 119 migrants. The Salvamar Atria rescue vessel has reportedly been operating almost continuously since the latest wave intensified early Tuesday.
Many of the arrivals are young Moroccan men who entered the water near Castillejos, on the opposite side of the border. One group of 16 told El Mundo that it had taken them approximately five hours to make the crossing before they were picked up by Maritime Rescue.
“We were freezing, but it was worth it,” one said after asking for directions to the CETI. Several were still wearing wetsuits or swim trunks.
The change in tactic from climbing border fences has arisen following a Spanish Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that migrants intercepted at sea cannot be pushed back, unlike those who cross on land. Entry through the land border also requires a visa and the perimeter fence remains heavily secured.
A Civil Guard officer suggested the ruling could be encouraging further crossings.
“It’s impossible not to think there’s a pull factor because of this,” the officer told El Mundo. “The CETI is a pressure cooker. Hundreds continue to arrive every day.”
Authorities and residents now fear a repeat of the May 2021 crisis, when more than 10,000 people entered Ceuta from Morocco in four days.
Vox described the current crossings as an “invasion” and blamed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government.
Sánchez es un traidor, un corrupto y un indecente. Actúa como el enemigo del pueblo español. La emergencia nacional solo puede resolverse echándole y sentándole en el banquillo.#Ceuta pic.twitter.com/yLicTcD6hU
— Santiago Abascal 🇪🇸 (@Santi_ABASCAL) July 30, 2026“Sánchez is a traitor, a corrupt man, and an indecent person,” Vox leader Santiago Abascal wrote. “He acts as the enemy of the Spanish people.”
Abascal claimed the migrants were “men of military age” encouraged to cross by the government and accused Sánchez of creating conditions that would allow them to remain in Spain. His party further posted footage of several newcomers praising Sánchez.
Spanish Vox MEP Jorge Buxadé similarly described the arrivals as a “massive assault” on Ceuta.
“A single responsible party: Sánchez,” he wrote. “Victims: the people of Ceuta and, by extension, all Spaniards.”
