Ceuta on the brink of collapse following arrival of 1,500 migrants in one week

This has put the resources of the regional government of Ceuta to their limits. The situation is reminiscent of the last major migration crisis in May 2021.

The regional government has urged the central government to push for a reform of the immigration law to reinstate the practice of turning migrants away at the border. It has also asked for a regulation that would allow it to quickly and efficiently transfer migrants to regions with less strained resources.

Crossing from the Moroccan coast to the beaches of Ceuta, characterised by its treacherous currents, can prove fatal.

Proof of this is the recent discovery in Malaga province of the bodies of three young migrants, washed up on the shores of Estepona and Manilva. According to sources, the victims were trying to cross over to Ceuta.

Over the past year, rescue services have recovered around 60 bodies from the water, though humanitarian organisations warn that the majority of those who drown at sea are never found.

This migration crisis has caused Ceuta's reception capacity to get completely overwhelmed. The city has registered a significant increase in migrant arrivals over the past few months, according to the Interior Ministry.

The temporary immigrant accommodation centre (CETI) is currently housing nearly 700 people, despite its actual capacity being 512, while around 400 remain gathered outside.

The number of unaccompanied minors has increased from 180 to 472 in just ten days. This overcrowding has forced the urgent reopening of the Tarajal warehouses as an emergency measure to provide shelter for the children and teenagers who continue to arrive.

The situation is also similar to what the Canary Islands experienced in 2024, when the number of arrivals broke all previous records.

The Ceuta regional government has declared the situation not a local but a state matter.

The local authorities' proposal involves setting up a coordinated emergency response through the creation of a "single command centre" to unify management between regional bodies, the security forces and the city.

Furthermore, the regional government is calling for an urgent reform of the immigration act to reinstate the practice of turning people away at the border, despite the recent Supreme Court ruling. According to Ceuta, this could have a crucial deterrent effect in preventing hundreds of people from continuing to risk their lives at sea.

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