Spain deploys military to Ceuta as thousands of Moroccan migrants breach the border
OAN Staff Lillian Mann
3:59 PM – Thursday, July 30, 2026
Madrid has deployed military forces to Ceuta after thousands of Moroccan migrants breached the border fence or swam to shore, escalating a growing crisis in the small Spanish territory.
The situation has been ongoing, with more than 2,000 illegal immigrants crossing the border in the past 10 days, according to Fox News.
However, on Thursday, the numbers surged, with video footage showing swarms of people emerging out of the ocean, climbing Ceuta’s rocky beaches and running down the enclave’s streets to avoid authorities.
Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas formally requested that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declare a national emergency in response to the border crisis.
While Madrid declined to issue a formal emergency declaration—stating that Spanish law limits such declarations to events like natural disasters rather than migration flows—the central government agreed to deploy Spanish Armed Forces and security reinforcements to secure the border.
“The declaration of a national emergency is part of the state civil protection regulations, which do not consider migratory flows as a risk to the National Civil Protection System, nor do they establish special plans, basic guidelines, or specific civil protection instruments for their management. Therefore, it is not possible to activate this mechanism, as requested by the president of the Government of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas,” Spain’s Ministry of the Interior said in a statement, according to Spanish outlet El País.
Meanwhile, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly highlighted that President Donald Trump has continuously warned Europe about the consequences of open borders.
“President Trump has long warned Europe what would happen if they continue to implement far-left, globalist policies, including enabling mass migration,” Kelly told Fox News.
“Spain and other countries who have adopted this destructive philosophy should immediately reverse course or risk their own demise,” she continued.
Videos online capture crowds—mostly military-age men—pouring into the Spanish territory and running through local streets as authorities struggle to restore order. Other clips show people climbing onto Ceuta’s rocky beaches after swimming over from Morocco.
Despite the ongoing issue, Spain’s prime minister did not comment on the situation until Thursday in an X post, saying that there would be an “immediate response” to Ceuta.
“The Government of Spain is fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta. We are mobilizing all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normalcy as soon as possible,” Sánchez wrote in a Thursday post on X.
Sánchez has drawn sharp criticism from Spanish conservatives over his handling of immigration, with opponents arguing that guaranteeing social services to unaccompanied minors who cross the border illegally acts as a “pull factor” for mass migration.
“When they cross the border as minors, you cannot send them back to Morocco,” Javier Negre, a conservative Spanish journalist and owner of La Derecha Diario and UHN Plus, told Fox News.
“The Spanish state has to take care of them and pay money to NGOs to care for these minors until they turn 18,” Negre said.
“It’s proof that Europe and Spain are on the verge of becoming a failed continent because of the future policies and promotion of this illegal invasion under Pedro Sánchez.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below
Advertising by Adpathway
;)
