Spain's intelligence agency flagged possible Ceuta migrant surge days before influx
Declassified documents show Spain's National Intelligence Center warned of coordinated social-media calls for a mass crossing into Ceuta on July 29, contradicting the prime minister's earlier statements about the level of prior warning.
Spain's National Intelligence Center (CNI) sent a WhatsApp alert to the government delegation in Ceuta on July 29, warning that social-media posts were calling for an assault on the border fence and a sea crossing the following evening. The message noted two organized groups with a combined following of about 180,000 people. A separate report that day warned Moroccan intelligence that migrants might try to enter Ceuta on July 30, coinciding with Morocco's national Throne Day, either by climbing the fence or swimming around it.
The CNI also informed Spain's Civil Guard that several Facebook and WhatsApp groups were encouraging such attempts. When thousands of migrants crossed the border on July 30, a Defense Ministry intelligence brief described Moroccan forces as passive and negligent in trying to stop the flow, adding that Morocco could seek to exploit the situation for strategic gain.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded on social media, saying the agency's monitoring of the campaign did not indicate the scale, nature or probability of the subsequent surge. He maintained that there was no evidence of Moroccan orchestration. The influx, which began on July 30, left thousands of migrants—estimates range from 5,000 to 10,000—still in Ceuta, many of them unaccompanied minors living in makeshift camps or on the streets.
The government has pledged to release further documents related to the crossing, which NGOs say resulted in more than 140 deaths. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska described the situation as "extraordinary" and said authorities were responding with existing resources.