Ceuta: Spain says most migrants have returned to Morocco
Deutsche Welle · LC · trust 53/100
Spain's government said that an estimated 48,300 migrants were back in Morocco on Friday evening. Italy has temporarily suspended its Schengen free-travel pact with Spain. DW has more.
https://p.dw.com/p/5I5Cr Spanish police worked to push back people who had crossed the border from Morocco into Ceuta Image: Antonio Sempere/AP Photo/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Ceuta estimated 60,000 people entered the city, at least 57 died in the attempt Italy temporarily suspends Schengen free-travel pact with Spain PM Pedro Sanchez visited Ceuta, blamed the influx on people smugglers manipulating a recent Supreme Court ruling Spain's military sends personnel to assist Guardia Civil border police 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.
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07/31/2026 July 31, 2026 Migrants lured by rumors and social media, Spain says Dmytro Hubenko Editor Authorities in Ceuta and Madrid are linking the border surge to a recent Spanish Supreme Court related to migration.
The court ruled that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported, unlike those who cross by land or climb the border fence.
According to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez , human smugglers misinterpreted the ruling and encouraged people to go to Ceuta in droves.
The misinformation about the Supreme Court’s ruling “spread like wildfire over the past few hours through the networks of human trafficking organizations,” Sanchez said.
He condembed human smugglers saying they "deceive so many young people and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths," whether in the ocean or in the city.
Experts say poverty and limited prospects for young Moroccans played a role in this week's surge.
A quarter of Moroccans between the ages of 15 and 24 are not enrolled in education, are not employment or recieving any work training, official data show.
07/31/2026 July 31, 2026 Spain says Schengen zone integrity is 'absolutely guaranteed' Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said that the integrity of the Schengen free-travel area was "guaranteed."
He made the remark on the social media platform X after Italy announced it was temporarily suspending the Schengen free-travel pact with Spain.
"Practically the entirety of those who entered Ceuta have already returned to Morocco," Albares said.
Albares explained that individuals are not able to travel from Ceuta or Melilla to mainland Spain without passing through police identification checks.
He said critics of Spain's handling of the Ceuta situation were spreading "confusion."
07/31/2026 July 31, 2026 Italy temporarily suspends Schengen free-travel pact with Spain Italy has suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain for one month, in response to the influx of migrants into Ceuta, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Friday.
"The temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain is a necessary decision to protect the security of our citizens and defend Europe's borders," Tajani wrote on X.
Italy's interior ministry told AFP news agency that while Italy had closed its maritime and air entry points to Spain, it cautioned that travel for Spanish and European citizens to Italy would not be impacted.
AFP reported that any checks at air and sea borders with Spain would be "targeted" and concern only non-EU citizens arriving from Spain.
The measure will reportedly remain in force for one month beginning on Saturday, the Interior Ministry said.
Tajani said the the temporary measure to suspend Schengen was "provided for by the treaties and, today, rendered unavoidable."
07/31/2026 July 31, 2026 Spain says most migrants have returned to Morocco Spanish authorities say most people who chad irregularly crossed the border from Morocco had already left Ceuta by Friday evening Image: Antonio Sempere/AP Photo/picture alliance Spain's government said that and estimated that 48,300 migrants had returned to Morocco by 6 p.m. local time (4 p.m UTC) on Friday. The figures would mean that most of the 60,000 migrants estimated to have breached the border into Ceuta have already left.
According to Reuters news agency, several hundred people could be seen voluntarily making their way back to Morocco through border posts and holes in the fence. Some of them reportedly they were unable to find food or shelter in Ceuta.
Moroccan police in riot gear used tear gas to disperse some of those were still gathering near the border fences, according to Reuters.
Spain: 60,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
07/31/2026 July 31, 2026 Germany to extend border controls after Ceuta breach German Interior Alexander Dobrindt said Berlin intends to reinforce and extend checks at Germany's borders in view of the situation developing in Ceuta.
"We will extend the possibility of internal checks beyond September," Dobrindt said.
Germany reintroduced some border checks within the Schengen zone on September 16, 2024, with Berlin citing the need to curb the number of unauthorized entries.
Since then, authorities have been carrying out checks at the borders with Denmark, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
The Schengen area is intended to be a zone free of regular border checks.
Despite growing criticism, the measure has been extended three times. It was extended most recently until mid-September 2026.
"The situation in Ceuta highlights the volatile nature of the illegal migration crisis," Dobrindt said, explaining the latest extension.
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