Ceuta: Migrant crossings and European reaction

At the end of July 2026, over 70,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish North African territory of Ceuta from Morocco without authorisation.

Most of the migrants were subsequently returned to Ceuta, but the incident led to concerns being raised across the EU about the integrity of the EU’s border-free Schengen area.

Status of Ceuta in Spain and the EU

Ceuta is an autonomous Spanish enclave that borders Morocco in North Africa. It is represented in the Spanish Parliament and it is part of the EU, although it is not part of the EU’s customs territory or the border-free Schengen area.

Spain’s autonomous cities in North Africa

Ceuta is one of two autonomous Spanish enclaves in North Africa (the other being Melilla), both of which border Morocco. Ceuta is separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar. Melilla is further to the east along the North African coast and further away from the Spanish mainland. Both Ceuta and Melilla have been under Spanish rule for several centuries. Ceuta was occupied by Portugal in the 15th century before coming under Spanish rule in the 17th century. Melilla was occupied by Spain in 1497 and became a Spanish territory in the 16th century. Both Ceuta and Melilla remained part of Spain when Morocco became independent from France in 1956, but Morocco has made claims that they are not Spanish territories and should be part of Morocco.

Status in Spain

Since 1995, Ceuta and Melilla have been constituted as “autonomous cities”, alongside the other autonomous territories of Spain. Both the autonomous cities have elected assemblies and are led by mayor-presidents. Both are also represented in the Spanish Parliament, electing one deputy each to the Congress of Deputies and two senators each to the Senate.

Status in the EU and Schengen area

Both Ceuta and Melilla are part of the EU but they are not part of the EU’s customs territory. They form the EU’s only land borders with African countries.

The two territories are also not part of the EU’s border-free Schengen area. When Spain acceded to the Schengen Convention in 1991, Ceuta and Melilla were excluded from the Schengen provisions that eliminate border checks between the member countries of the Schengen area. A declaration attached to the agreement on Spain’s accession to the convention stated that Spain would maintain checks on sea and air connections from Ceuta and Melilla to other Spanish-territory destinations and to elsewhere in the Schengen area.

How many migrants crossed into Ceuta?

Although media reports referred to around 60,000 people making the crossing to Ceuta on 30 July 2026, the Spanish authorities initially said the number of migrants was closer to 50,000. However, Spanish authorities later revised their estimate and said the figure was around 72,000. Reports suggested that most of the migrants had swum around the border fence and that some had clambered over rocks.

How many migrants died during the crossings?

Initial media reports said that at least 57 people had died during the crossings, but the Mayor of Ceuta, Juan Jesus Vivas, later said that at least 100 people had died.

How many migrants remain in Ceuta?

On 31 July, a Spanish Government official said that more than 48,300 of the estimated 50,000 unauthorised migrants had returned to Morocco. Spain also said it was cooperating with Morocco on accelerating returns. The Spanish authorities later said that 69,500 migrants had been returned to Morocco and that returns had been “voluntary”.

There have been differing estimates of how many of the unauthorised migrants remain in Ceuta. A report in early August 2026 referred to an estimate made by Spanish authorities that around 2,500 of the migrants remained.Mayor Vivas said on 6 August that the figure was between 3,000 and 5,000. He later said the figure could be between 8,000 and 11,000.

How did the migrant crossings happen?

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, described the crossing incident as a “violation of Spain's territorial integrity”. He blamed the incident on criminal trafficking gangs exploiting an interpretation of a recent Supreme Court ruling in Spain.

On 8 July 2026, Spain’s Supreme Court had ruled that a Spanish procedure for immediately returning unauthorised migrants only applies if the migrants have breached a physical border, and not if they have arrived by sea (including by swimming). Unauthorised migrants can still be returned after crossing an unmarked maritime border, but under a separate formal return procedure. In its ruling, Spain’s Supreme Court said the immediate return procedure could be applied for arrivals at sea if there was some form of “maritime containment” barrier in place at the frontier.

On 31 July, Prime Minister Sánchez said his government would establish a maritime containment barrier to meet these conditions. Spain began installing a 500-metre-long floating barrier off the shoreline between Ceuta and Morocco on 1 August.

Spain has also sent armed forces and police reinforcements to Ceuta, along with drones, divers and boats to reinforce security at the border. It has also increased security measures and military presence in Melilla.

Mayor Vivas has suggested that the Moroccan authorities may have encouraged the crossings. Spanish authorities have been quoted as saying that the usual Moroccan border patrols on the other side of the border had not been present in the days leading up to the incident. Reports suggest that this could be linked to Moroccan authorities’ irritation with a recent Spanish rapprochement with Algeria, which supports self-determination in Western Sahara, a territory controlled by Morocco. A previous large-scale crossing into Ceuta in May 2021 (see below) occurred when Morocco reportedly relaxed controls on the border during a diplomatic standoff over Spain’s decision to allow a Western Sahara leader to be treated for covid-19 in Spain.

Opposition parties in Spain blamed the incident on a decision by the Spanish Government in April 2026 to grant legal status to some unauthorised migrants meeting certain conditions. The Spanish Government said the Ceuta crossings did not relate to this decision, as none of the people who had crossed into Ceuta would be able to benefit from the legalisation scheme because the deadline for this had closed and residency for at least five months before 1 January 2026 was required to be eligible.

The legalisation scheme has also been criticised by Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.

Previous migrant crossings

Both Melilla and Ceuta are viewed as potential crossing points by migrants hoping to reach Europe from Africa. Previous attempted crossings have been on a smaller scale. In May 2021, 6,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta. Most of these migrants were returned to Morocco. There have been subsequent crossings involving smaller numbers of migrants.

Prior to the incident on 30 July 2026, around 3,000 unauthorised migrants had crossed into Ceuta and Melilla in 2026 (mainly into Ceuta). United Nations data shows that, in 2025, close to 1,000 migrants made these crossings, with close to 500 crossing in each of the previous two years.

Both Ceuta and Melilla have high fences on their borders with Morocco. The fences are reinforced with barbed wire.

European response to the crossings

Many other EU member states expressed concern about the migrants crossing into Ceuta and the impact on the security of the border-free Schengen area. Some, including Italy, introduced temporary border security measures.

Concerns expressed by other EU countries

On 31 July 2026, the Italian Government announced that it was suspending its Schengen arrangements with Spain, saying this was a necessary decision “to protect the security of our citizens and defend Europe’s borders”. Italy’s Prime Minister Meloni described the “uncontrolled immigration” in Ceuta as a threat to national security. Spain’s Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said that Spain expected “European solidarity and not partisan demagoguery” and summoned the Italian ambassador for a meeting.

Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, also called for the EU to “consider all options, including a suspension of Schengen co-operation”, while Finland’s Interior Minister, Mari Rantanen, said Italy’s measures should be supported and that Finland was also considering adopting the same approach. The French Government said it was increasing border security measures and the Portuguese Government said it was considering doing so. The Czech Prime Minister, Andrej Babiš, called for the temporary suspension of Spain's Schengen membership.

Italy’s suspension of Schengen arrangements with Spain would mean checks on people travelling by air or by sea from Spain to Italy. The suspension is initially for a one-month period. On 8 August, Spain reciprocated by suspending Schengen arrangements and imposing checks for travellers from Italy.

Following a phone call with Spanish Foreign Minister Albares on 31 July 2026, the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, said he was informed that “not a single person has crossed to mainland EU”. Albares said on the same day that almost “the entirety” of those who had entered Ceuta had been returned to Morocco and the “integrity of the Schengen Area” was absolutely guaranteed. He also said that people could not travel from Ceuta or Melilla to mainland Spain without passing through police identification checks.

Letter from 22 EU member state leaders to Presidents of EU institutions

In an initiative coordinated by Italy and Denmark, 22 of the 27 leaders of the EU’s member states sent a joint letter to the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Council President, António Costa, and the Irish Prime Minister, Micheál Martin, (Ireland currently holds the rotating Council of the EU Presidency) on 1 August 2026 calling for an emergency meeting to discuss the incident in Ceuta and formulate a join response.

The letter referred to the recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling as a “trigger” for the events in Ceuta and said the EU had “a duty to effectively deter and relentlessly combat illegal migration”. It said this required coordinated action and addressing policies that can serve as pull factors “such as the regularization of very large number of irregular migrants”. It said that “uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats” to create the perception that illegal entry into the EU is possible could not be allowed, and that neither could the perception that “a migrant’s illegal entry can turn into legal stay”.

The letter welcomed cooperation between Spain and Morocco to ensure the swift return of migrants and noted that no “unauthorized onward movements” had been recorded into the rest of the EU. However, it said that the EU leaders were ready to take any necessary measures, in accordance with EU law, “including through reinforcing or reintroducing temporary internal border controls”.

Letter from the Spanish Prime Minister to the European Commission President

Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez also wrote to the European Commission President on 1 August and called for an urgent meeting to “reaffirm that the security of our external borders is a shared responsibility of all Member States”. In a letter to the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, Sánchez said the Spanish Government had fully restored control over the border and prevented any unauthorised onward movement towards continental Europe in less than 48 hours. He said he had “serious concern” regarding the reaction of some European governments to the Ceuta incident.

Prime Minister Sanchez pointed out that Ceuta was not part of the Schengen area and said that although most European governments had shown “support and solidarity”, others had chosen to attack Spain and call for its temporary exclusion from the Schengen area. He said that this was an attitude “driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest”. He also suggested that Spain had a better record than other EU member states in reducing irregular migration and noted that the number of irregular migrants received by Spain in recent years was less than half the number received by Italy. and said that the EU “cannot afford this kind of selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction”.

EU response to the Spanish Prime Minister’s letter

In a response to Sanchez on 3 August, Commission President von der Leyen praised the efficient handling of the incident by Spain and Morocco. However, she said that the EU needed to take further steps to coordinate action. She said this should involve increasing cooperation with partner states, strengthening the EU’s external borders, building early warning systems, dismantling smuggling networks and returning migrants swiftly. She also noted that action across the EU had led to a “decrease in the number of illegal arrivals to Europe, down 55% over the past two years, and so far this year, down 37%”.

EU ministers’ meeting

EU internal affairs or migration ministers met informally in a videoconference meeting on 4 August. A statement following the meeting said that member states and the Schengen associated countries “were united in expressing strong solidarity with Spain” and that ministers “appreciated the swift and effective efforts of Spanish authorities in responding to the situation in Ceuta”. It confirmed that the latest update from the Spanish authorities and the Commission indicated that the very large majority of people who had crossed into Ceuta had been returned and that there had been no onward movement to mainland Spain or other member states.

The statement said there was a common understanding of the need to continue fighting migrant smuggling networks, to reinforce returns, and to build partnerships with third countries. It also said that ministers had pointed out that communication during moments of crisis could further be reinforced through timely coordination and should be more coherent “especially to counter malicious external actors engaged in foreign information manipulation and interference”.

Following the meeting, European Commissioner Brunner said that Spain’s scheme to enable irregular migrants to attain legal status was “not a good signal” for Europe, although he added that the EU could not currently see a direct link between events in Ceuta and the scheme.

Schengen area rules and EU migration policy

The Schengen area is a border-free area of 29 European countries. Member states can temporarily reintroduce border controls in some circumstances. The EU has recently introduced a package of new measures to strengthen its external borders and improve cooperation on migration and asylum policies. It is also finalising new measures to strengthen common policies on returning migrants.

Schengen Borders Code

The Schengen area is an area without internal border controls. It was originally established in 1985 outside of the EU treaties by a small group of EU countries. It was subsequently brought into the EU treaty framework, expanding over time to cover 25 of the EU’s 27 member states (all EU member states other than Ireland and Cyprus) and four non-EU countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The EU has adopted a set of common internal and external rules to ensure the security of the Schengen area, including common rules for persons crossing into or out of the Schengen area set out in the Schengen Borders Code.

For details on how Schengen area rules apply to UK travellers to the Schengen area, see the Commons Library briefing After Brexit: Visiting, working, and living in the EU.

The Schengen Borders Code also allows member states to temporarily reintroduce border controls with other Schengen countries at all or specific parts of internal borders “in the event of a serious threat to public policy or internal security”. This should be limited to exceptional circumstances. Depending on the circumstances, the suspension can be for up to six months. The suspension can be further renewed, with the total period of suspension not lasting more than two years.

For further details on how these provisions apply and a table setting out which countries have applied temporary controls under these provisions, and at which borders, see European Commission, Temporary Reintroduction of Border Control.

EU Pact on Migration and Asylum

In June 2026, the EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum came into force. This is a package of 10 legislative acts with common EU rules covering procedures for screening and registering irregular arrivals at EU borders, swifter asylum and return procedures, rules on the responsibility for asylum applications, and a solidarity mechanism under which EU member states support certain other EU member states facing migratory pressure.

Under the solidarity mechanism, migrants from member states facing migratory pressure can be relocated to another member state, where the other member state agrees to provide a solidarity contribution in this way. However, states can choose to provide solidarity in other ways, and exceptions apply to states that are themselves facing a significant migratory situation.

The EU is also developing financial mechanisms as part of its next long-term budget to support member states in implementing the pact on migration and asylum and strengthening border management and internal security.

For further details on the Migration and Asylum Pact, see European Commission, Pact on Migration and Asylum.

Migrant returns regulation

In June 2026, negotiators from the Council of the EU (EU member state ministers) and the European Parliament approved the draft text of an EU regulation on migrant returns. This would establish a common approach for returning migrants, with stronger rules to enforce returns of persons staying illegally in EU member states. The regulation would allow member states to transfer migrants to “return hubs” in third (non-EU) countries where the third country has agreed with the EU member state to accept the migrants and has concluded an agreement with the member state to establish such a hub.

The agreement with the third country would need to ensure respect for international human rights standards. The return hubs can serve either as the final destination or as transfer centres facilitating onward return to the country of origin or another third country.

The text of the regulation still needs to be formally adopted by the Council of the EU before becoming law. It was adopted by the Parliament on 17 June 2026.