According to an assessment, thousands of migrants have crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco in recent days, both by sea and by land.
An assessment published Thursday afternoon (July 30) indicates that the number of migrants who have crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in recent days may be in the thousands, significantly higher than the earlier estimate of 1,500. The assessment notes arrivals both by sea and by land, expanding on initial reports that focused on migrants swimming across the border. The figure comes hours after the Ceuta governor declared a humanitarian and social emergency, warning that reception facilities for unaccompanied minors were operating at 2,400% capacity.
The Zioneer’s coverage of the crisis began at 14:00 Jerusalem, when reports stated that hundreds of migrants had crossed by swimming. Within minutes, the scale escalated: reports emerged of thousands storming the border, and by 14:00, the governor had declared a state of emergency. Ceuta’s Prime Minister Juan Jesús Vivas confirmed that reception centers had collapsed, with minors’ facilities overwhelmed. The new assessment, published later in the afternoon, now suggests that the actual number of arrivals may be substantially higher than the initial 1,500 figure, with both sea and land routes used.
The Zioneer has previously reported on Spain’s broader migration challenges. On June 30, The Zioneer reported that Spain had received 1.3 million applications from undocumented migrants for its mass regularization program, more than double official expectations. The current crisis in Ceuta echoes the 2021 incident, when 10,000 migrants entered the enclave in a matter of days, as noted in the initial reports.
The precise number of migrants remains an assessment, and has not yet been confirmed by Spanish or Moroccan authorities. The situation continues to develop, and the full scope of the crossing may not be known until a formal count is released.
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