Tense Situation

Ceuta: “Thousands of migrants still here”

Young migrants get fresh water from a shower on the beach.(Bild: AFP/JORGE GUERRERO)

Following the unprecedented influx of migrants into Ceuta, the majority of the new arrivals have returned to Morocco. According to Spanish media, however, several hundred migrants remain in the exclave, camping primarily on the beach and in front of initial reception centers. Regional President Juan Jesús Vivas is not willing to speak of a return to normalcy. He even refers to “thousands of people who have stayed.”

In fact, live footage from the Reuters news agency shows sections of the beach in Ceuta lined with dozens of people—mostly young men—from North Africa. The Spanish police union Jupol also refutes “false narratives.” The situation continues to require “comprehensive security measures,” the union posted on the short-form messaging platform X. As evidence, the police released footage of clashes between migrants and security forces (see post below).

Police: “Tension Persists”
“Tension persists in Ceuta. The images show the beach at Trampolín, where police are cordoning off a group of migrants who remain in the city following the massive influx of the past few days,” the police explained. 

Dozens of men are lying wherever they can find a spot.(Bild: AP/Antonio Sempere)

Spending the night under the open sky on Ceuta’s beach(Bild: AP/Antonio Sempere)

Outside the CETI reception center, around 1,000 migrants continue to wait to be admitted. According to media reports, over 700 people are already housed there. However, the facility is designed to accommodate 500 people. In other words: The reception center is completely overcrowded.

Young migrants are getting fresh water from a shower on the beach.(Bild: AFP/JORGE GUERRERO)

Floating border barrier erected
The central government quickly followed through on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s announcement to create another barrier at the border using an inflatable orange barrier approximately 500 meters long. The floating barrier, which protrudes about 30 to 70 centimeters above the water depending on the swell and extends up to one meter deep, is intended to prevent migrants from swimming to Ceuta. The barrier is essentially an extension of the land-based border embankment into the sea.

The floating barrier, which protrudes about 30 to 70 centimeters above the water depending on wave conditions and extends up to one meter deep, is intended to prevent migrants from swimming to Ceuta.(Bild: AFP/ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT)

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the barrier is also intended to help improve control and surveillance of the area. With the new barrier, which is reinforced by a chain of buoys, Madrid aims not least to close a loophole that, according to some observers, was created by a Supreme Court ruling.

Intensifying Debate in the EU
The debate over the protection of the EU’s external borders is intensifying. On Tuesday, EU interior ministers plan to discuss the crisis via videoconference. The meeting could also serve as a forum for debate—as significant rifts among EU partners have become apparent in recent days. Italy and Denmark initiated an open letter indirectly accusing Madrid of sending undesirable signals with its recent migration policy decisions. Twenty-two of the 27 EU heads of state and government signed it, including Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP).

Sánchez criticized the reaction of some EU partners as being driven by “prejudice, misinformation, ignorance, or political interests.” Ceuta is not part of the Schengen Area, he wrote to EU leaders. Migrants cannot easily travel on from there to other EU countries.