Ceuta: Spain scrambles after thousands breach exclave border
Deutsche Welle · LC · trust 50/100
Spanish police and troops are trying to shore up Ceuta's border to Morocco after Thursday's mass breach. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is also inbound, as Spain's neighbors implement temporary border checks. DW has more.
https://p.dw.com/p/5I5Cr Tens of thousands of people gained entry to the Spanish exclave on Thursday [FILE: July 30, 2026] Image: Antonio Sempere/AP Photo/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Ceuta says it cannot cope after estimated 60,000 people entered the city, at least 34 died in the attempt Spain's Pedro Sanchez visits Ceuta, blames the influx on people smugglers manipulating a recent Supreme Court ruling Spain's military sends personnel to assist Guardia Civil border police France and Italy say they will temporarily tighten border controls at their frontiers to Spain Germany's Merz calls on Morocco to take back the irregular migrants 'without delay' Follow this blog for continuing coverage and updates on the developing situation in Ceuta, Spain's North African territory.
Tired of missing our real-time updates? Click here to add us as a Preferred Source on Google . Then tap the "Star" or "Preferred" to keep DW News at the top of your feed.
07/31/2026 July 31, 2026 Authorities revise death toll to 57 The Spanish government's representative in Ceuta said on Friday evening that authorities had since recovered 57 bodies on the Spanish side of the border.
This increased a previous tally of at least 34 dead.
It cautioned that further casualties were possible on the Moroccan side.
Some drowned and others were crushed in a stampede trying to cross a breakwater near a border checkpoint.
07/31/2026 July 31, 2026 'Not the time to divide' — Sanchez Without singling anyone out by name, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez seemed to issue a response to critics including Italy's government and right-wing politicians across much of Europe on Friday evening.
"Solidarity and empathy are optional. Respect for European treaties and data is not," Sanchez wrote on X.
He then listed statistics from the EU's Frontex border enforcement agency on irregular migration between 2021 and 2026. This showed the largest number of arrivals, 478,600, from Italy, with 340,600 from the member states in the Western Balkans, 259,800 from Greece and then 234,760 via Spain.
"This is not the time to divide. It is the time to continue building a strong and united EU," Sanchez wrote.
Frontex data for 2025 specifically also showed the Western Mediterranean crossing route to Spain as a much smaller route for irregular migration than crossings to Italy. However, it was also the only major route listed where Frontex recorded a year-on-year increase rather than a reduction.
07/31/2026 July 31, 2026 US State Department lays blame with Spain, Trump draws Mexico parallel The US State Department issued a statement saying it stood with "the people of Spain, and all Europeans, against this egregious violation of their sovereignty and human rights."
It seemed to link developments to a decision months ago by Sanchez's government to offer and amnesty and temporary residency permits to irregular migrants already living in Spain . That's despite the fact that no new arrivals in Spain after it came into effect will be eligible to benefit, and Pedro Sanchez citing a different motivating factor.
"This unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government's deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe," the State Department said of its NATO ally. "We are considereing actions to defend Americans at home and abroad from this threat and stand ready to assist other European allies considering similar options."
US President Donald Trump , meanwhile, seemed to seek to equate the issue to the US border with Mexico and domestic elections in an interview with Fox News.
"It's terrible. Remember that picture. That's going to be us in three years if the wrong side gets in," Fox quoted him as saying.
Trump and Sanchez's governemnts have clashed repeatedly in recent months over the war in Iran and relations with Israel, among other issues.
A US Congressional report published at the end of April of this year also raised eyebrows, when it described Ceuta and Melilla as "Spanish-administered cities" located "in Moroccan territory."
07/31/2026 July 31, 2026 AfD's Weidel takes aim at Merz government after Ceuta breach German anti-migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) opposition leader Alice Weidel took aim at Friedrich Merz for his response to developments in Ceuta.
"The chancellor doesn't dedicate a single word to how he wants to secure the German border, and he also does not comment on a suspension of the Schengen Zone, as Italy, Finland and Denmark have done in the mean time," Weidel wrote, along with an image embedding Merz's response on social media. "Merz wants to sit out this crisis too, without acting in any way."
Merz's comment had explicitly said he supported Spain's intentions "not to allow the illegal migrants onto the European continent" and had called for their return "without delay."
Earlier in the day, Weidel had said that Ceuta was "ravaged" overnight and had said Germany must prepare itself.
07/31/2026 July 31, 2026 Portugal: Integrity of Schengen depends on 'rigorous border control' Portugal 's government has issued a statement saying it is monitoring development in Ceuta with "great concern" and it laments the loss of life.
It said it had been kept informed by its Iberian neighbors "from the very beginning" and noted that Madrid's government had provided assurances that it would work with Morocco to "reverse the flow of the thousands of people who have arrived."
"The Portuguese government reaffirms that the integrity of the Schengen system depends on rigorous border control and a determined fight against all forms of illegal immigration," the government said .
It said domestic authorities like the…
Read the original at Deutsche Welle →
Open in TruthVane →