Overview
- The mass arrival that reached Ceuta at the end of July left several thousand migrants in the exclave after most returned and dozens died during the crossing.
- Clashes escalated on Thursday when demonstrators blocked Red Cross vehicles, set migrants' belongings on fire at Benítez beach, and police used tear gas and reportedly rubber bullets to disperse crowds.
- A soldier was injured after migrants threw stones at a military vehicle and police subsequently arrested twelve people who were identified as Moroccan nationals.
- Spanish officials estimate about 3,500–7,000 migrants remain in Ceuta, including roughly 1,500 unaccompanied minors, and plan to transfer about 500 vulnerable children to the mainland while operating reception centres with 1,800 places.
- The crisis has prompted sharp political pressure in Madrid, conflicting ministerial statements about whether the intelligence service warned authorities before the surge, and legal constraints that bar collective expulsions and require individual protection assessments.