Over 5,300 Migrants Return to Morocco After Ceuta Mass Entry

Agadir – Spanish authorities have returned more than 5,300 migrants to Morocco following the mass entry into the occupied Ceuta on July 30 and 31, while around 100 others have withdrawn their asylum applications in Spain, Spanish Minister of Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres said today.

“In recent weeks, we have enabled 4,500 spots by the Government of Spain; more than 5,300 people have voluntarily returned; nearly a hundred have renounced asylum; and return proceedings are being finalized for the repatriations,” Torres explained. 

Torres also announced an emergency operation early Sunday to relocate 864 migrants who had been sleeping on the streets of Ceuta to a temporary closed shelter.

“This Sunday morning, in a complex operation that has gone well, nearly 1,000 people who were sleeping on the streets are now in a temporary facility in Ceuta,” the minister added. 

The Spanish government said the measures aim to ease pressure on public spaces and restore what Torres described as “normality” in the enclave as quickly as possible.

The minister said authorities will continue returning migrants to Morocco when they do not qualify for international protection. He stressed, however, that Spanish authorities must first identify each person and complete the procedures required under Spanish law before carrying out a return.

Torres said moving migrants into designated facilities will help authorities accelerate the identification and administrative procedures required for returns.

Meanwhile, the Ceuta local government estimates that around 13,000 migrants, including adults and minors, remain in the enclave.

The recent protests, alongside reports of insults and hostility directed at migrants, have placed Spain under renewed pressure to address the situation through cooperation with Morocco and other relevant authorities. 

Such cooperation remains essential to protect migrants, uphold their dignity, and facilitate safe, orderly returns for those who are eligible to return to their countries of origin. 

Against this backdrop, Spanish political actors should prioritize practical solutions over using migration and Morocco as instruments in domestic political disputes. 

The situation in Ceuta requires coordinated action focused on protecting migrants, managing the enclave’s humanitarian pressures, and ensuring that returns take place safely and in accordance with applicable legal and humanitarian standards.