Thousands of Moroccan migrants cross into Spain's Ceuta, prompting emergency request
Around 3,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday, leading local authorities to ask the national government to declare a state of emergency.
On Thursday, thousands of migrants from Morocco crossed the border into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the North African coast, overwhelming local services. The surge prompted the city’s mayor and security officials to request that Spain declare a state of emergency to manage the influx.
Ceuta, which has been under Spanish sovereignty since the 16th century, is one of two Spanish territories on the African mainland that frequently serve as entry points for migrants seeking to reach Europe. The exact cause of the latest surge is unclear; the Associated Press noted that a day earlier a group of migrants attempted to cross the border by swimming.
The incident quickly spread on social media platforms, where videos of the crowd were widely shared. Public figures, including billionaire Elon Musk, posted comments describing the situation as an "invasion" and likening it to a fictional disaster scenario. Spain’s far-right Vox party leader Santiago Abascal also posted videos labeling the event an invasion and criticizing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s immigration policies.
Spanish authorities have previously responded to similar events, most notably in May 2021 when more than 8,000 migrants entered Ceuta over two days. At that time, the government deployed troops and returned many migrants to Morocco. Local officials then described the atmosphere as one of anxiety and uncertainty.
The current episode has reignited debate in Spain and across Europe about migration management and the impact of recent policy changes that aim to regularize a large number of undocumented migrants.