Residents of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta took to the streets Thursday evening to defend their city after a mass migrant crossing, according to reports. The development comes amid an ongoing crisis that has overwhelmed local reception centers.
Residents of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta took to the streets Thursday evening to defend their city after a mass migrant crossing, according to reports. The mobilization comes after a day of escalating reports: earlier Thursday, the governor declared a humanitarian and social emergency after the arrival of over 1,500 migrants from Morocco, and unverified claims emerged of tens of thousands having entered the enclave.
The Zioneer has been tracking the crisis throughout Thursday. At 14:00 Jerusalem, the governor declared the emergency, stating that reception centers for unaccompanied minors were operating at 2,400% capacity. Within the same hour, additional reports indicated that thousands of migrants had crossed both by sea and land. The Abu Ali Express channel, citing Moroccan media, claimed that approximately 30,000 people had entered, including individuals released from prison via a royal pardon — a figure that remains unverified by official sources. The official number of registered arrivals has remained at over 1,500.
The current crisis echoes a similar event in 2021, when roughly 10,000 migrants entered Ceuta over several days, as The Zioneer has reported previously. Ceuta, one of two Spanish enclaves on the African continent, has long been a focal point for irregular migration into Europe, and the situation is often influenced by the state of bilateral relations between Spain and Morocco.
The nature and scale of the citizen mobilization Thursday evening remain unclear. It is not yet known whether the residents are conducting patrols, setting up barricades, or engaging in other activities. Additionally, the exact number of migrants who have crossed remains disputed, and the claim of prisoner releases has not been independently confirmed. The Spanish government's response is still awaited.
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