30/07/2026 15:09 - Internacionales
The Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta is experiencing hours of extreme tension. In the early hours of July 30, 2026, hundreds of people managed to jump the border fence, joining the nearly 2,000 migrants who have arrived by swimming from Morocco in just five days—an average of about 300 people per day.
The city's president, Juan Jesús Vivas, described the situation as an “absolute humanitarian and social emergency” and requested the central government to declare a national security emergency, including the deployment of the Army. The Ceuta Assembly's Spokespersons' Board, representing all political parties, unanimously supported the request. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced he would travel to the city on Friday July 31 to assess the situation on the ground.
A recent ruling by Spain's Supreme Court precipitated this avalanche. The court determined that the law does not allow “hot returns” (summary deportations) of people intercepted at sea while trying to swim to Ceuta, unlike those who scale the fence by land. The resolution spread quickly on social media and acted as an incentive. During this period, at least 60 bodies were recovered from the waters.
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the northern coast of Africa, facing the Strait of Gibraltar. Portugal conquered it in 1415 and it passed to the Spanish crown in 1640, with its sovereignty ratified by the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668. The United Nations has never included it on its list of non-self-governing territories, weakening Morocco's claim.
| Area | 18.5 km² |
| Population | 83,500 inhabitants |
| Land border with Morocco | 6.4 km (double fence, 6 meters high) |
| Spanish sovereignty since | 1668 (Treaty of Lisbon) |
Morocco, which claims the territory under the doctrine of “Greater Morocco”, denied facilitating the crossings and attributed the wave to criminal human trafficking networks. Irregular arrivals to Ceuta in 2026 had already increased by 164% compared to the same period in 2025, reminiscent of the May 2021 crisis when more than 6,000 people crossed in a few days.
Sources: Infobae and Vatican News.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
