Even After Major Exodus, Thousands Of Migrant Invaders Still Overwhelm Spanish City

Thousands of migrants remain in Ceuta, Spain, on Monday, with hundreds camping on a beach after last week’s border rush from Morocco overwhelmed the city.

Spanish officials say about 69,500 people have gone back to Morocco in the last four days. That is higher than the first estimates of roughly 50,000 who crossed into Ceuta on Thursday, according to NBC News. The death toll stands at 83 as of Monday.

Many of the migrants who left the city said they turned back after shops closed and left them without food. The migrants also said that they faced hostility from local residents.

Footage from El Trampolin beach shows dozens of migrants, most from south of the Sahara, lying on the sand. Some had wrapped themselves in towels to protect themselves from the wind as army and police vehicles moved along the road behind them.

Ceuta leader Juan Jesus Vivas told Telecinco that 3,000 to 5,000 migrants remain in the territory. He said both reception centers, one for adults and one for minors, had “collapsed.” Official Alberto Gaitan said the city is processing 862 migrant minors who have special legal protections against deportation.

The situation has sharpened tensions inside the European Union over border policy. Spain has accused some its neighbors of failing to help and only offering polarizing responses. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares noted Monday that Spain had previously supported other E.U. countries during migration crises and now expected the same in return. 

Vivas, however, blamed Morocco. He told El Pais there was a widespread perception in Ceuta that Morocco had allowed, if not orchestrated, the crisis.

“Morocco has shown us that it isn’t reliable. There’s no alternative but to put in place whatever means are necessary to ensure it cannot do this again,” Vivas said.

Morocco’s Interior Ministry on Sunday blamed the surge on misinformation circulating on social media, human trafficking networks, and a misinterpretation of a Spanish court ruling that bans the immediate deportation of migrants intercepted at sea. That explanation also aligned with Madrid’s official position.

Morocco’s Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, NBC News reported. In its Sunday statement, it said the country remains “committed to strengthening international cooperation and coordination in combating irregular migration and human trafficking.”

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters on Saturday that the foreign intelligence agency CNI, which is controlled by the Defense Ministry, had not warned him of an imminent surge. El Pais reported Monday that the lack of warning created tensions between the two ministries. 

An Interior Ministry spokesman downplayed those reported tensions. Defense Minister Margarita Robles declined to say whether the CNI had any prior intelligence of the mass crossing, citing the secret nature of its work while praising the “exceptional” performance of Spanish security personnel.

President Donald Trump said Friday the Ceuta events would be a midterm talking point, describing them as looking “like an invasion of a country by hundreds of thousands of people” and warning the United States would face worse if Republicans don’t win upcoming elections. Vice President JD Vance called the images “an unfortunate reminder of the consequences of mass migration.” The State Department said the U.S. stands with the people of Spain against “this egregious violation of their sovereignty and human rights.”

France also moved last week to reinforce its border with Spain, deploying mobile forces, aircraft, and drones in response to the same surge.