Published July 31st, 2026 - 11:59 GMT
ALBAWABA - Spanish police said Saturday that around 49,000 migrants entered into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighboring Morocco in a 24-hour period, one of the worst migration influxes into the North African region in recent years.Migrants reached Ceuta from the land and the sea, with footage shared online showing people swimming along the shore or using inflatable rings, while others crossed through a breached border gate, Spain’s Interior Ministry said.In response, following a petition from local officials for a state of emergency, the Spanish government dispatched 60 soldiers and 200 specialized police officers from mainland Spain. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is also set to visit Ceuta, together with the interior minister, to see for himself the situation and meet with security personnel and municipal authorities.The problem has also become fatal. Nine migrant remains were recovered on Thursday, local officials said, bringing to 60 the number of deaths linked to attempts to reach Ceuta in recent months.The violence moved from Ceuta to Melilla, Spain's other North African enclave, where there were reports of fights and three vehicles were torched, injuring numerous persons. 🇪🇸The Spanish Supreme Court ruled against the pushback of illegal migrants arriving to the country by sea, essentially legalising such arrivals. The Spanish government also took a political decision to legalise the status of hundreds of thousands of migrants earlier this year.… pic.twitter.com/1dxVHC7iDf— Dovydas Vitkauskas (@Dovydas44444) July 31, 2026 Madrid has promised to expel migrants who have entered the country illegally and accused human trafficking networks of manipulating a recent court decision that stops officials from sending back migrants found at sea promptly.The new developments put more pressure on Spain to address migrant surges across the country’s southern border as it tries to balance humanitarian issues with border security.
