Ceuta calls for 'national emergency' following nearly 800 migrants' attempt to swim ashore in a single day

On Thursday, he called on the government to declare a "national emergency" after nearly 800 migrants attempted to enter the city in a single day.

Most of them were intercepted by Moroccan patrol boats, meaning that only around 300 have actually reached the Spanish coast. Rescue services also found two more bodies on the coast, bringing the official death toll to around 30, although humanitarian organisations warn that the seabed could harbour many more missing persons.

The relentless stream of people swimming ashore along the Tarajal breakwater, which separates Morocco from Ceuta, has brought the number of irregular entries over the past week to more than 1,700.

The scale of the influx, which represents almost two per cent of Ceuta's total population, has led Juan Jesús Vivas, to formally request that the central government declare a "national emergency" and immediately establish a single command structure.

On Wednesday, he also called on the government to reform the immigration law to reinstate the practice of turning migrants back at the border, despite the fact that the Supreme Court's latest ruling on immigration matters stipulates that this must be carried out through the ordinary legal channels and not as an emergency measure.

The scenes unfolding along the coast are reminiscent of the most tense moments of the major crisis in May 2021.

The majority of the 800 migrants who tried to cross the border on Wednesday are between the ages of 18 and 30, the majority of Moroccan and Algerian origin. There were also numerous minors.

This surge is not an isolated incident. Although the overall figures for irregular entries into Spain showed a decline in the first half of the year, the land and swimming routes to Ceuta have surged by 149.4 per cent so far this year compared with 2025, with more than 2,800 entries recorded.

Vivas stated that the huge number of arrivals is completely overwhelming Ceuta's capacity to provide assistance and requires immediate state intervention.

He reiterated the need to establish a "single command structure" to coordinate management between the central government, Ceuta and the various ministries involved.

Vivas once again placed the urgent amendment of the immigration law at the heart of his demands, as he believes that immediate return acts as a deterrent, which not only eases the burden on reception services but also prevents hundreds of young people from risking their lives at sea.

Vivas described the situation as an "absolute humanitarian and social emergency", placing particular emphasis on the strain on the child protection system, whose centres are currently 1,600 per cent over capacity. They are currently accommodating 472 young people, compared with the 29 legally available places.

The regional president called for the immediate release of state contingency funds and the implementation of a streamlined referral scheme to the mainland for both adults and minors.

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