Morocco attributes Ceuta migrant surge to online misinformation and trafficking networks

Moroccan authorities have placed responsibility for the recent arrival of roughly 60,000 migrants in Ceuta on the spread of false information online and the activities of human-trafficking networks, rejecting the notion that the surge was spontaneous. The Interior Ministry highlighted that misleading posts about a Spanish Supreme Court ruling, which prevents fast-track deportations of migrants who come by sea, were exploited by traffickers to encourage crossings.

Rabat says it has adopted a proactive, comprehensive strategy at the border and remains a reliable partner in tackling illegal migration. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez echoed the claim, noting that trafficking mafias misread the court decision and that the misinformation spread rapidly. Opposition leaders, including Vox's Santiago Abascal and the People's Party's Miguel Tellado, have seized on the crisis to criticize Sánchez's migration policies and demand stricter border measures.