Overview
- Ceuta experienced a sharp escalation on Thursday when thousands who had reached the city by sea moved toward the land border and hundreds reportedly crossed the valla, leaving local services and reception centres saturated.
- Local leaders asked the national government to declare a national emergency, close the border and deploy the military while unions for Guardia Civil and Policía Nacional warned officers are working at the limit and filing thousands of identification and administrative dossiers.
- Madrid says it is sending Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska to Ceuta, has deployed extra resources, and has agreed with Morocco to intensify coordination to arrange the expedited return of people who entered irregularly.
- Police unions and Ceuta officials blame a recent Supreme Court ruling that limits immediate returns at sea and are urging changes to the Ley de Extranjería and new bilateral readmission agreements to make returns operationally feasible.
- The humanitarian toll remains unclear: authorities and media report recovered bodies and possible deaths linked to recent crossings while the CETI centre — built for about 512 people — is far over capacity, leaving many migrants and children without adequate shelter or services.