Ceuta mayor calls for detention centre as migrant surge overwhelms enclave

A wave of migrants entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco at the end of July, with official figures showing roughly 72,000 arrivals and about 70,000 returned to Morocco. The remaining population, estimated by local officials between 8,000 and 11,000, includes hundreds of unaccompanied minors who cannot be deported immediately. Juan Jesus Vivas, Ceuta’s Popular Party leader, demanded the rapid establishment of a detention centre to keep migrants off the streets and facilitate faster expulsions, calling the situation unsustainable.

Residents of the 84,000-person enclave staged protests on August 9, accusing authorities of neglect. Angel Victor Torres, the Spanish minister for regional affairs, announced a 40 % increase in Civil Guard deployments and said reuniting children with families is the priority, without confirming any expulsion plans. The dispute highlights tensions between the central left-leaning government and the conservative and far-right parties governing the region.