Spain’s North African enclaves are facing a surge of migrants. It feels like a resurgence of the Moorish wars. The videos are intense, showing thousands of people storming into Ceuta and Melilla. Are we surprised? No, Spain’s Supreme Court recently ruled that migrants intercepted at sea cannot be immediately deported. You can imagine the chaos that ensued—total mayhem after this news broke. These areas are now caught in a humanitarian crisis (via AFP):
INVASION! Thousands of illegal migrants are crossing into Spain today, overwhelming border authorities. pic.twitter.com/ZIg2TWl6LA
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 30, 2026
🇪🇸 Insane footage from the Moroccan border with Spain: thousands of migrants are gathering at the border
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 30, 2026
This is exactly what Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez was aiming for. pic.twitter.com/Fb1pEKU0jj
INSANE FOOTAGE: Thousands of migrants continue crossing from Morocco into Spain’s Ceuta enclave, as local officials reportedly urge Madrid to declare a national emergency. pic.twitter.com/dlbbKOjBV1
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 30, 2026
🇪🇸🇲🇦 Thousands of illegal migrants from Morocco are simply climbing over barbed-wire fences.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 30, 2026
There is no police or border guard presence from either Morocco or Spain. pic.twitter.com/uZ6RWCFLgQ
Migration from Morocco into Spain's two north African territories, Ceuta and Melilla, has long been a politically sensitive issue between the two countries, as thousands cross the border at times.
AFP reporters saw a stream of adults and children, most of them wet, entering the town. Discarded flotation rings and clothes had been left on the shore near where the frontier barrier meets the sea.
The president of Ceuta, Juan Vivas, said Wednesday that 1,500 migrants had come to Ceuta by sea in the past few days.
"We are in a situation of total humanitarian and social emergency," he said in comments broadcast Thursday by Spanish television.
Earlier, he had said that the reception centres were saturated as the number of people entering was more than 200 a day.
"There is no more room for anyone," he said.
[…]
Migrants walked cheerfully through the streets of Ceuta, thanking the Spanish police and calling out: "Bye bye, Morocco, hello Spain."
Police and Civil Guards in Ceuta appeared to do little to intervene, though some officers attempted to direct the arrivals to the local migrant reception centre.
"It really breaks my heart to see so many people suffering, and who knows how many have actually drowned along the way," one young man, a local resident, told AFP.
"To be honest, I don't understand why they come to Spain, why they're led to believe that there's a future here," he added.
"When they arrive, they're faced with the harsh reality that they have nothing, and that people treat them as if they were nobody."
[…]
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that his government was "focussed on providing an immediate response to the crisis in Ceuta.
"We are mobilising all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normality as soon as possible."
Spain has a mess on its hands.
Live look at Spains border pic.twitter.com/T1SFDzkKcp
— Politi_Rican 🇵🇷 𝕏 🇺🇸 (@TheRicanMemes) July 30, 2026
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