2026 Ceuta migrant crisis

Rare card · No. 44610

In late July 2026, an estimated 80,000 people, mainly young men originating from Morocco, illegally breached and crossed the border from Morocco into the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta in North Africa, with smaller numbers attempting to cross to Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city about 400 kilometres (250 mi) away along the Mediterranean coastline. This overwhelmed local reception facilities, and also prompted the government of Ceuta to request that the Spanish government declare a national emergency. Most entered by swimming around the breakwaters of Tarajal and Benzú or by crossing on foot along the shoreline. The crisis followed the decision in January 2026 by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of the PSOE to introduce a mass regularisation programme for migrants who had been living illegally in Spain, including many of Moroccan origin. Sánchez's decision, which the opposition criticised at the time as unconstitutional and unlawful, was later identified by the heads of state from...

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