In late July 2026, an estimated 60,000 people, predominantly young men, breached and crossed the border from Morocco into the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta in North Africa, with smaller numbers attempting to cross to another Spanish autonomous city, Melilla, about 400 kilometres away along the Mediterranean coastline.

This overwhelmed local reception facilities and prompted the government of Ceuta to request that the Spanish government declare a national emergency. Most entered by swimming around the Tarajal and Benzú breakwaters or by crossing on foot along the shoreline. By 31 July, Spanish officials said about 50,000 people had voluntarily returned to Morocco. By 4 August, at least 99 of the migrants were reported to have died as a result of the incident. The European Union will hold emergency talks on Tuesday, August 3, to discuss the migration crisis in Ceuta after tense exchanges between Spain and other member states. Twenty-two member states issued a joint letter calling for co-ordinated action and the strengthening of the EU’s external borders, after some 60,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave from Morocco. Ceuta and Melilla are two autonomous cities of Spain located on the north coast of Africa. The Morocco–Spain border these cities form part of is the European Union‘s only external land border in Africa. Under a special condition of the Schengen Agreement, border checks are done on exit from the cities – no one can travel from Ceuta or Melilla to mainland Spain without being identified by the National Police at the port or the airport. Morocco claims sovereignty over both cities, while Spain regards them as an integral part of its national territory since the 1400s.

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Why Did 60,000 Migrants Cross from Morocco into Spain’s Ceuta?