Ceuta is a small Spanish city in North Africa, one of Spain's few remaining African possessions. In recent years, it's been a destination for tens of thousands of Moroccan illegal aliens looking to settle in Europe.
Two weeks ago, a Spanish court ruled that migrants who arrive by sea could not be immediately returned without due process. That ruling, coupled with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's lax immigration enforcement policies, has created a perfect storm that has resulted in tens of thousands of people swimming past the dangerous breakwater in Ceuta in an attempt to reach shore in a single day.
According to The Guardian, at least 18 would-be immigrants died trying to swim the breakwater. Civil Guard units, local emergency workers, and military support continue rescue operations along the shoreline, where additional casualties remain possible as thousands continue attempting the crossing.
All military age males means it is an invasion https://t.co/5o3PasmEfy
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2026
The situation is beyond chaos.
Ceuta wakes up in chaos as dozens of Moroccans storm a grocery store. pic.twitter.com/39s9DqW1Qu
— David Santos (@davidsantosvlog) July 31, 2026
Sanchez is blaming "mafias" who "traffic in human beings."
The Government will guarantee the safety of Ceuta's residents by increasing the presence of the Security Forces on the city's streets.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 31, 2026
Furthermore, we will deploy a physical containment barrier at sea to facilitate repatriation at the border… pic.twitter.com/Mj2LrcoBV9
They just keep coming.
Sánchez is a traitor, corrupt, and indecent. He acts like the enemy of the Spanish people. The national emergency can only be resolved by removing him from power and putting him on trial. #Ceuta pic.twitter.com/yLicTcD6hU
— Santiago Abascal 🇪🇸 (@Santi_ABASCAL) July 30, 2026
I can only say that Ceuta and Melilla don't deserve this. I recorded the video yesterday when I went to see everything. The photos are from yesterday and this morning.
— adri (@adrielege) July 31, 2026
They're destroying the city; they've tried to break into the downstairs neighbor's house three times, twice last night and once just now (I saw it from the window...). https://t.co/yD991hb2xS pic.twitter.com/8O4fCGGnXS
Surreal.
🚨BREAKING: An emergency has now been declared in the Spanish city of Ceuta after tens of thousands of illegal migrants break in from Morocco
— Inevitable West (@Inevitablewest) July 30, 2026
Pedro Sánchez is REFUSING to deploy the military to defend the borders. 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/OvtzvEZxBs
Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s far-right Vox party, doesn't mince any words.
SOS Ceuta!
— Santiago Abascal 🇪🇸 (@Santi_ABASCAL) July 30, 2026
They're not fleeing any war, nor poverty. It's an invasion. They are men of military age summoned by Sánchez's corrupt government to storm our borders so they can then wander the streets of Spain shouting "Long live Pedro Sánchez."… pic.twitter.com/Vuk2PeSIsb
The president of the European Union, Ursula van der Leyen, called the invasion "unacceptable."
The images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 31, 2026
We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules.
Dangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow.
I tasked two Commissioners…
She's so cute when she stomps her tiny little feet.
A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil force, which polices Spain’s borders, said the migrants were “massively entering from the sea” through the Tarajal breakwater, but could not provide an estimate of the numbers.
On Thursday evening, Spain’s interior ministry announced that 60 members of the armed forces would be deployed to Ceuta, along with an additional 30 Guardia Civil officers. “The armed forces will reinforce the Guardia Civil in the exercise of its powers and any others that may be necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta,” the ministry said.
But it rejected calls for the declaration of a national emergency, saying such emergencies could not be declared over migration issues, and could be declared only in response to dire meteorological events – such as the current wildfires – or in the face of a volcanic or nuclear threat.
Sánchez said his government would provide “an immediate response” to the situation in Ceuta, which echoes the border crisis in 2021 when more than 8,000 people arrived in just two days.“We’re mobilising all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normality as soon as possible,” he said in a post on X. “I just conveyed this to President Vivas. This is the moment to build solutions, with responsibility and cooperation.”
“The images coming from Ceuta are shocking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a real threat to the security of Europe’s borders,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
“We are prepared to take action — including through extraordinary measures — to defend our borders and ensure citizens’ safety,” she added.
Meloni, along with Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, have called for the suspension of the Schengen agreement, or for Spain to be kicked out of the free-travel zone. The Schengen Agreement allows citizens of EU countries to move freely between the 29 countries that make up the Union. Some nations have imposed restrictions in response to the migrant crisis, something Spain refused to do.
And now the people of Ceuta are paying for Sanchez's lax enforcement.
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