49,000 migrants invade Spanish enclave in 24 hours

Nine are confirmed to have died during this, and the authorities are expecting more bodies to be found.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the Spanish Government giving amnesty to 60,000 migrants this week?

This is what the BBC reported

‘This comes after Spain's Supreme Court ruled this month that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish enclave, cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.’

Apparently the reception centers are overflowing.

There were similar border surges in 2021 when over 8,000 people crossed into Ceuta in two days during a diplomatic breakdown between Spain and Morocco.

I saw it on Reuters:
www.reuters.com/world/africa/spain-estimates-49000-migrants-crossed-into-ceuta-over-past-24-hours-2026-07-31/

The 49000 is more than the number of residents in Ceuta which is around 83000.
I'm not sure how they will cope with this influx.

This is how things are in Europe at the moment. We grumble: they are on the front line. Only a Europe/even the countries where people leave solution will even begin to take the idssue. It's like "the streets of London are paved with gold" they are being told by the smugglers.

And they are not.

I object to "invasion", as it's pejorative in what is a complex and very varied issue (ie mix of genuine refugees and economical irregular migrants). We have done well as the numbers arriving here currently are 42% down on last year, work in progress, but this example shows how fruitless it is to turn into FortressGB - alone.

A young Spanish man was interviewed last night actually in the town they had arrived. He said, they are coming to an illusion, they will suffer, they will not get what they dream...he didnt call it an invasion, some are, of course.

A lot of those coming from Algeria and Morocco will be heading to France, for obvious reasons. It will be interesting to see how France reacts to this, they have several choices.

tabbie

A lot of those coming from Algeria and Morocco will be heading to France, for obvious reasons. It will be interesting to see how France reacts to this, they have several choices.

Ceuta is an very small enclave of Spain that is attached to Morocco ?North Africa'.

The meditteranean still separates Ceuta from mainland Spain.

The Ceuta arrivals have yet to reach mainland Europe and I suspect Spain will be forced ( by other EU countries) to prevent such a huge surge in numbers

It’s virtually guaranteed we will get the usual “invasion” arguments here because few people understand what is going on politically in Morocco (I don’t) and why (and when) these regular incursions happen.

Interesting thread by someone called Gonzalo Bonet on X. I didn’t know who he is and I don’t know if he is right or wrong (some are disputing his arguments) but at least it gives perspective.

He says:

Most of the young people there have no future at all, and in large cities like Casablanca they organize to jump the fence at Ceuta or Melilla.

The government of Morocco knows it, and it generates windows of opportunity for them to do their thing whenever it suits its interests. For example, by lifting surveillance at the border on the occasion of Throne Day [30 July], the anniversary of Mohamed VI's rise to power, it has facilitated what happened today.

Read on for his explanation:

x.com/GBCLopi/status/2082905074590749150

Countries need borders, who knew?

Countries don't 'need' borders because country borders already exist.

The issue is how countries and their allies decide how to control and manage their borders.

LemonJam

Countries don't 'need' borders because country borders already exist.

The issue is how countries and their allies decide how to control and manage their borders.

A country is broken if it cannot control its borders.

Daft question I know, but I do wonder how Spain is able to hang on to Ceuta when it's sited in North Africa parallel to our situation with Gibraltar

TerriBull- that may well be the underlying political tension between Morocco and Spain?

It's because Spain supports Palestine.

The chief prosecutor ICC court what happened.

Oh well, I always remember being told this story by a guide when we were going round the Alhambra, almost certainly apocryphal. When the Moors were expelled from Spain some kept keys to their properties in the hope that they would return one day. Maybe those keys were passed down through the generations. Although no doubt the houses may have long since been demolished.

My goodness, I think it's rather more than that! Countries all over Europe do or don't support Palestine in different ways or not.

No, I think we have to look at movements in Europe as a whole. and why people leave, ie, what its going on in their country.

It’s frightening 😳

I wonder how this will effect Spanish culture? If they welcome the culture and integrate it shouldn't be a problem, the problem for me is when they bring their own culture and live within their culture it doesn't work if cultures clash,
Just my opinion

Where’s all this going to end up I wonder? AI is going to mean there won’t be many jobs in Europe either. I truly can’t think of a solution.

MT62

It’s frightening 😳

It absolutely is!

What a potential disaster for all concerned. If only stupid young men didn't fight and just looking for reasons to hate others but concentrated on creating their own healthy communities we wouldn't have all these situations. Tribalism!

They all looked pretty fit and happy to have made the crossing. Most had nothing with them and I was wondering who is going to feed them. They did not seem to be particularly poor and oppressed, well built and very young and strong enough to have swum over. Good luck Spain, and no doubt some will also make their way and be welcomed in the UK.

Meandrogrog

LemonJam

Countries don't 'need' borders because country borders already exist.

The issue is how countries and their allies decide how to control and manage their borders.

A country is broken if it cannot control its borders.

Well, no country CAN control its borders. If it's a vast country like USA, its borders with Mexico and Canada are so huge they will always leak.

A not-huge island like Britain or Ireland has a huge coastline, most of it unoccupied and unobserved , where boats can land.

In Africa, Europe etc every country borders many others and anyone on two feet can walk across borders at night unseen.

None of this is new, humans have been migrating for ever.