Thousands of migrants have poured into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, overwhelming local authorities, triggering a humanitarian emergency after a landmark Supreme Court ruling barred the practice of summarily returning migrants intercepted at sea.
Within a week, over 1,500 migrants arrived, with local authorities reporting around 300 crossings per day. Video footage showed crowds swimming around breakwaters and walking onto local roads, some shouting “Love Live Spain” as they entered the territory.
The problem is caused by the judgment 814/2026 rendered in late June, which denied the Spanish Civil Guard the right to immediately expel migrants who have been apprehended while swimming. The court found that the summary procedure for returning migrants can be applied only to those who tried to cross the border through “containment elements,” not surveillance tools used at sea.
Considering the situation, Ceuta’s president Juan Jesús Visas has declared a “total humanitarian and social emergency” and called on Madrid to deploy the army. But Spain’s Interior Ministry declined, citing Law 17/2015, which restricts national emergency declarations to natural and technological disasters.
The migration also involves many unaccompanied minors. Ceuta is now caring for around 570 children, up from 180 ten days ago, with facilities operating at 1,600 per cent of capacity.
According to Spanish law, the minors fall under the jurisdiction of the local government of Ceuta and not the national government, thus resulting in a jurisdictional logjam.
A total of 29 dead bodies have been found on Ceuta’s coast since January up to July 30, out of which 10 died in July. The Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska is supposed to visit on Friday in his attempt to cooperate with Morocco to reduce the influx, but according to migrant advocates, the crossings are going on unabated.
2026-07-30 22:06:00
