On July 30, more than 60,000 North Africans, mostly from Morocco, poured across a breakwater that separated Morocco from the Spanish city of Ceuta in one 24-hour period.
How did so many people make it across the border into Spanish territory? It certainly helped that the Moroccan border guards mysteriously disappeared for 24 hours. Once word spread that the guards had taken a holiday, tens of thousands of people waiting for just such an opportunity took to the water to swim around the breakwater.
Unfortunately, at least 67 of them didn't make it. But the 60,000 who did are hoping that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will grant the border swimmers the same generous amnesty he gave 500,000 illegals in April.
Related: 'Absolute Chaos': Nearly 50,000 Migrants Invade Spanish Enclave in a Single Day
Why would Morocco leave their border with a Spanish possession unguarded?
Politico reports, "The absence of Moroccan guards on the border suggests the current crisis could be a power play by Rabat, and potentially a reaction to Sánchez’s recent rapprochement with Algeria, which supports self-determination in Western Sahara — a territory claimed by Morocco."
Morocco has recently cozied up to Donald Trump as well as Israel by signing the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries. Rabat is seeking to leverage its developing relationship with Trump by getting support for Morocco's expansionist policies.
Morocco's signing of the Abraham Accords led Rabat to ink "a security agreement with Israel in 2021, proving vital for the conflict in Western Sahara," writes UnHerd's Juan David Rojas.
The dispute over Western Sahara traces back to Spain’s 1975 withdrawal from what was then called Spanish Sahara. Under the Madrid Accords, Spain handed administration of the territory to Morocco and Mauritania; Mauritania withdrew from its share in 1979 after heavy losses to Sahrawi guerrillas. A 16-year war followed, pitting Moroccan forces against the so-called Polisario Front. Rabat eventually built an extensive sand wall — fortified with landmines and troops — partitioning the territory. In November 2020, Moroccan troops entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone to disperse Sahrawi protesters, prompting the Polisario to declare an end to the three-decade truce and a return to armed struggle. The two sides have since traded sporadic strikes along the sand wall.
Spain's socialist prime minister isn't above playing traditional, old-world, Euro-style colonialist games, despite his annoying penchant for calling out the U.S. and Israel for "war crimes."
Morocco has tried to curry favor with Trump, naming the Dakhla-Tiznit highway, which runs through Western Sahara, after the US President. Trump was pleased.
“Thank you to Highly Respected Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco — Such a Great Honor! I look forward to traveling the entire length of this Great Highway someday, hopefully soon!”
Ceuta has become an issue in the 2027 general election in Spain, threatening Sánchez's fragile leftist coalition. The rest of the EU is threatening to freeze Spain out of the Schengen travel agreement, which allows free movement within the EU.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke for most of the conservative parties in Europe. “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,” she wrote.
The images coming from Ceuta are shocking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled illegal immigration represents a concrete threat to the security of Europe's borders.
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) July 30, 2026
I spoke with Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.…
About 90% of the 60,000 illegals who crossed the border have been sent back to Morocco. But Morocco has shown Spain that migration has become the ultimate weapon of 21st-century diplomacy. Rabat didn't need a single weapon to bring Madrid to the table; it just needed to pull back its guards for 24 hours. For Sánchez and the rest of Western Europe, the message was loud and clear: Play ball on Morocco's terms, or prepare for the next wave.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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