Overview
- Roughly 70,000–72,000 people entered Ceuta in late July 2026, leaving thousands sleeping in makeshift sites and overwhelming local services.
- Large protests by Ceuta residents this week escalated into clashes with security forces and an attack on a military vehicle in which one soldier was hurt and 12 migrants were detained.
- Madrid created a centralized 'single command' led by Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres to speed identification and returns while transferring vulnerable minors to the Spanish mainland.
- Official counts of who remains vary: the Spanish government says between 3,500 and 7,000 people remain in Ceuta, local leaders put the figure nearer 10,000, and authorities have opened probes into smuggling and reported sexual assaults linked to the arrivals.
- Comments by Moroccan ministers questioning Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla have provoked sharp rebuttals from Madrid, raising the risk of a wider diplomatic rift that could affect joint border and return cooperation and fuel political pressure in Spain.