Thousands of migrants remain in Ceuta weeks after massive border influx
Spanish authorities are still trying to shelter and process up to 10,000 migrants in the North African enclave of Ceuta, while local officials criticize the national government for an inadequate response.
Migrants who had been living on a beach outside Ceuta’s city centre were moved on Thursday morning by Spanish police to temporary shelters, but new arrivals continued to search the area for discarded belongings. The relocation comes amid a humanitarian situation in the Spanish enclave, where officials estimate that between 5,000 and 10,000 migrants – including roughly 2,000 minors – are still present weeks after more than 72,000 people entered the territory in late July.
The United Nations refugee agency said the city faces major challenges in providing shelter, basic services and food, and urged Spanish authorities to accelerate asylum processing. The agency’s spokesperson in Spain, Paula Barrachina, estimated that about 1,200 of the migrants could qualify for international protection.
Spain’s minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, announced that space had been secured for 1,800 migrants in a parking lot and a military facility, and that the government was seeking additional locations. The migration ministry reported that 6.5 million euros in emergency funds have been allocated to Ceuta and that 4,000 meals have been distributed daily since early August.
Local officials expressed frustration. Ceuta mayor Juan Jesús Vivas, of the centre-right Popular Party, accused the national government of lacking the will to resolve the crisis, saying the recent relocations did not demonstrate a commitment to a solution.
Migrants interviewed on the ground said they remain uncertain about their future. A 20-year-old Moroccan woman, Khadija Rifai, said minors receive assistance but adults have not been offered clear options. An 18-year-old Chadian, Mohamed Yaqoub, said he hopes to obtain the necessary documents to travel onward, possibly to study in France.
The situation highlights the broader difficulty for people who enter Ceuta and Spain’s other North-African enclave, Melilla, to obtain exit permits and reach mainland Europe.