Ceuta migration surge fuels right-wing protests and pressures Sanchez's government
The ongoing influx of migrants into Ceuta continues to strain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's administration, prompting a massive right-wing demonstration demanding stricter migration policies and early elections.
Nearly eight weeks after a mass arrival of migrants on July 30-31 in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, the situation still dominates Spain's political discourse and complicates the Socialist government's ties with Morocco. A fresh point of contention is the presence of thousands of unaccompanied minors and the debate over their relocation to other Spanish regions. The right and far-right have seized on Ceuta as a symbol of alleged governmental failure to safeguard "territorial integrity."
On Saturday, September 26, authorities reported about 20,000 people marching through the city center at the invitation of an ultraconservative Spanish Civil Society platform, with backing from the Partido Popular and Vox. Demonstrators displayed signs reading "No to the invasion of Ceuta and Melilla" and "In defense of Spain," while also demanding legislative elections before November 15.
Why it matters
The Ceuta crisis highlights Spain's migration challenges and deepens political divisions ahead of upcoming elections.
How this story developed
- Aug 21 Spanish police detain five suspected migrant smugglers operating from Ceuta
- Sep 12 A police‑commissioned report described Moroccan border police as unusually sparse and granting migrants “total permission.”
- Sep 13 Minister Sira Rego urged autonomous communities to assume responsibility for Ceuta’s unaccompanied minors.
- Sep 13 The foreign minister announced an urgent trip to Brussels for talks with EU officials.
- Sep 16 The Guardia Civil raided a cramped apartment on Real street in central Ceuta, finding 25 migrants - six of them minors - living in squalid conditions.
- Sep 18 The Audiencia Nacional's Contentious‑Administrative Chamber approved the use of Ceuta port for a temporary migrant shelter.
- Sep 18 about 850 migrants were settled in 50 tents at the port while others returned to beach camps
- Sep 19 The port camp filled within hours, leaving many migrants still without shelter on the streets and beaches.
- Sep 24 Sánchez formally requested explanations and corrective measures from Morocco.
- Sep 26 Morocco’s foreign minister announced the country's readiness to receive Ceuta migrants at the UN General Assembly.
- Sep 26 Thousands gathered in Madrid for a second “March for Dignity”, calling for snap elections and the expulsion of migrants who arrived in Ceuta.
- Sep 26 A second “March for Dignity” was held in Madrid, drawing tens of thousands of participants.
- Sep 27 Ceuta residents marched demanding stronger border controls and an end to sexual assaults.
- Sep 28 Frontex added that the western Mediterranean corridor recorded a 34% rise.
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