Overview
- Tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta in a late‑July surge that authorities estimate at roughly 70,000–80,000 and that overwhelmed the enclave’s shelters, hospitals and services.
- Madrid says about 70,000 people were returned to Morocco within days but local officials and aid groups say thousands remain in Ceuta and resources are still strained.
- Some 1,342–1,400 unaccompanied migrant children are registered in Ceuta, and Spanish legal protections for minors have slowed immediate expulsions and complicated relocation plans to mainland centers.
- Local anger has erupted into large protests and calls from Ceuta’s mayor for detention capacity, while Morocco’s justice minister has demanded the repatriation of Moroccan unaccompanied minors.
- Investigations point to criminal networks and online coordination: police dismantled a trafficking ring linked to migrant girls and hospitals reported alleged sexual assaults on vulnerable minors, and independent reports trace rapid escalation to social‑media misinformation.