Migrants who flooded into Spain‘s North African territory have urged Moroccans to stay at home, as tens of thousands of people have been voluntarily returning to their country.
Ceuta’s president put the number of migrants who crossed into Spain at 60,000, which was equivalent to 70 per cent of the territory’s population.
But most of them soon went back, the Spanish government said, after the sudden arrival of so many people sparked a humanitarian crisis, with at least 67 migrants perishing on the journey.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper El País, one Moroccan man admitted he had made a mistake crossing into Ceuta.
‘I honestly don’t know why I came. I am going back, it’s that simple,’ he said as he waited to cross the border.
‘What we did here is nothing good nor anything fun. People are dying here. I beg you, please, for those who haven’t come yet, don’t. Don’t do it.’
Some migrants swam several miles through the sea and faced down authorities who tried to turn them back with water cannons, tear gas and warning shots.
Some drowned or were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier near a border checkpoint.
Spanish security personnel escort a big group of migrants to the border to take them out of Spain, after mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into Spanish territory, in Ceuta, Spain, August 1, 2026
Civil Protection vessels assist in the installation of floating barriers off the coast of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026
According to Spain’s Interior Ministry, 48,000 migrants have already returned to Morocco
Spain deployed its armed forces and additional police to restore order in Ceuta, which sits on the Strait of Gibraltar at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea and has been a Spanish possession since 1580.
On the Moroccan side of the border, security forces clashed with migrants.
The chaos also had ripple effects abroad, with Italy and France pledging to tighten controls on arrivals from Spain.
‘The situation that Ceuta is going through is absolutely unsustainable,’ Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas told journalists.
Meanwhile, Spanish authorities have begun installing massive containment barriers in a bid to halt the arrival of more migrants from Morocco.
The 500-meter-long inflatable is a ‘temporary’ solution, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Friday after visiting Ceuta.
He condemned the massive influx of migrants as a ‘violation of Spain’s territorial integrity’ and blamed human smugglers for the crisis, saying they ‘deceive so many young people and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths,’ whether in the ocean or in the city.
According to Spain’s Interior Ministry, 48,000 migrants have already returned to Morocco.
Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers, described the situation as a ‘serious humanitarian crisis,’ saying thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, were left sleeping in parks and on sidewalks, while others roamed the streets aimlessly.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the images from Ceuta were ‘unacceptable.’
Spain deployed its armed forces and additional police to restore order in Ceuta
A migrant hides in a tunnel at the Tarajal beach, after mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into Spanish territory, in Ceuta
A migrant lies on the ground next to Spanish security personnel in Ceuta, Spain, August 1, 2026
Migrants run from Spanish police officers after crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Friday, July 31, 2026
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the images from Ceuta were ‘unacceptable’
Spanish army soldiers and Guardia Civil officers stand guard on a littered beach as migrants return to Morocco
Spanish soldiers find a migrant hiding in a tunnel at the Tarajal beach
‘We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules,’ she said Friday in an online statement.
‘Dangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow.’
US President Donald Trump also condemned the situation.
‘You know I saw Spain yesterday, and I watched the catastrophe that took place. It looks like an invasion of a country by hundreds of thousands of people,’ he said.
Morocco’s ambassador to Spain said the situation in Ceuta had unfolded against Morocco’s wishes.
‘We have always prioritised legal, orderly and safe migration for all,’ Karima Benyaich said. She did not comment on what prompted the migrants to cross into Ceuta.
To reach Ceuta, on the northern African coast, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about three miles to reach Spanish territory.
Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.
Authorities in Ceuta and Madrid have linked the border surge to a recent decision by the Spanish Supreme Court, which ruled that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported, unlike those who cross by land or climb the border fence.
Sánchez said migrant smugglers misinterpreted the ruling.
The interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling ‘spread like wildfire over the past few hours through the networks of human trafficking organisations,’ triggering the surge, Sánchez said.
Spanish soldiers rescue an injured migrant at the beach
Cleaning workers clean a beach in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta
CAuthorities in Ceuta and Madrid have linked the border surge to a recent decision by the Spanish Supreme Court
In the tumult, Italy temporarily suspended its open-border Schengen agreement with Spain
A Spanish soldier gestures to migrants on their way to the border to Morocco
Cleaning workers collect belongings left behind by migrants who crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta
Migrants from Morocco also attempted to cross into Melilla, the other Spanish territory at the tip of North Africa
Earlier this year, his government moved to give residency and work permits to hundreds of thousands of migrants already living in the country without permission.
Sánchez, a Socialist, argued that it would be good for the economy and the demographics of an ageing Spain. Migrants who entered irregularly after January 1 this year were not included.
His critics jumped at the opportunity to attack his policy, saying it encouraged more migrants to come.
‘Sánchez allows Spain to be invaded through Ceuta,’ Spanish conservative politician Isabel Díaz Ayuso wrote on X.
The US expressed its support for ‘the people of Spain, and all Europeans, against this egregious violation of their sovereignty and human rights.’
In a post on X, the State Department added that ‘this unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government’s deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe.’
Sánchez on Friday defended his migration policy and distanced it from the events in Ceuta.
In the tumult, Italy temporarily suspended its open-border Schengen agreement with Spain, reimposing border controls for air and sea.
The Interior Ministry said the decision amounted to a ‘closure’ of the borders, but experts said it was merely a resumption of border controls. The agreement allows travellers to fly between the two countries without presenting passports.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said France would also strengthen border checks with Spain.
Spanish soldiers sit in a military vehicle as police officers and soldiers escort a big group of migrants to the border to take them out of Spain
Migrants rest on a path near the sea after mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into Spanish territory
Migrants wait to board coaches as the Moroccan authorities transfer some back to their hometowns after they left Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta
Migrants pass through a broken fence as they leave Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta towards the Moroccan town of Fnideq
Migrants look for their belongings after crossing into Ceuta by sea
Migrants wade through the water near the border with Morocco as they attempt to enter Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta
A migrant uses plastic bottles to keep afloat as he tries to enter Ceuta by sea
A migrant uses a float to cross into Ceuta
Young men who returned from Spain gather at the Bab Sebta border crossing near Fnideq, Morocco, 31 July 2026
Migrants rest after crossing into Ceuta
Migrants arrive on Tarajal beach in Ceuta
The crisis in Ceuta ‘has nothing to do with the regularisation of migrants adopted by the Government of Spain, as is being falsely claimed by some,’ the Spanish government said in a statement late Thursday after Meloni’s announcement.
Migrants from Morocco also attempted to cross into Melilla, the other Spanish territory at the tip of North Africa.
There was widespread chaos in Bni Nsar, the Moroccan town bordering the Spanish territory, where migrants clashed with police, throwing rocks and setting police vehicles ablaze, according to local media and rights groups.
They reported injuries among security forces and the arrest of dozens of people attempting to cross.
Like Ceuta, Melilla is a self-governing Spanish city. Many Moroccans consider both cities to be occupied territory.
