Officials: Nearly 49,000 Migrants Cross Into Spanish Enclave of Ceuta

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1242 EAT on Friday 31 July 2026

Videos and images circulating on social media showed thousands of migrants swimming into the Spanish enclave on Thursday, while local media reported that crossings continued overnight.

Officials said at least 18 people have died in recent days while attempting to reach the territory.

The surge comes after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that migrants intercepted at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, Spain’s two North African enclaves, cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

Local authorities had appealed to Madrid for assistance following a recent increase in attempted crossings, but chaotic scenes unfolded on Thursday as border controls appeared to collapse.

Spain later deployed military personnel to reinforce security in Ceuta and its neighbouring enclave of Melilla, where authorities also reported between 300 and 400 attempted crossings overnight.

Spanish officials have issued a staggering estimate suggesting that the number of migrants who entered Ceuta over the past day could amount to more than half of the city’s population, which stands at around 83,600 according to the latest local figures.

Authorities said at least 7,000 of those who crossed into the territory illegally in the past 24 hours were minors.

Spain’s Interior Ministry said it was working with Moroccan authorities to facilitate the return of those who entered the territory irregularly “as soon as possible”.

If confirmed, the figures would represent the largest influx of migrants into Ceuta since May 2021, when more than 10,000 people entered the Spanish enclave in a single surge.

-BBC

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