Overview
- On 30–31 July tens of thousands crossed from Morocco into the Spanish exclave Ceuta, with most later returned, dozens reported dead and thousands left living in precarious conditions.
- Madrid released about 40 police and CNI documents that include a 29 July WhatsApp note saying social‑media groups with roughly 180,000 followers urged a 'storm' of the border, and officials now dispute whether those messages signalled the later scale.
- The European Commission approved €114.7 million in emergency aid to fund border surveillance equipment, reception capacity and returns, and will reinforce on‑site help through Frontex, Europol and the EU asylum agency.
- Spain’s top prosecutors and the national criminal court have opened investigations into the mass influx, possible Moroccan involvement and a growing number of alleged crimes inside reception centres, including multiple reported sexual‑offence cases.
- Thousands remaining in Ceuta face overcrowded camps and strained services, large protests on the mainland have sharpened political attacks on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and the episode is renewing debate on EU border policy and Spain–Morocco cooperation.