Spain deployed the military to Ceuta as Sanchez said about 60,000 people had entered, raising political tension across Europe

Spain deployed military personnel and police to its autonomous city of Ceuta on the north coast of Africa after a large influx of migrants from Morocco. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the enclave on Friday, 31 July 2026, and said about 60,000 people had entered Ceuta over the past few days, more than half the enclave's population. According to the enclave's president, at least 34 people died attempting to cross by land and sea; in later reports the same day, Al Jazeera and The Guardian put the toll at at least 57. Many drowned attempting the sea crossing, while others died in a crush at the breakwater near Tarajal beach.

Spanish authorities reinforced the city with military and additional police, while Morocco deployed security forces and water cannon to push back the crowds. Reuters footage showed the remains of a burned bus and seven cars near the border after clashes between security forces and crowds. Ceuta authorities have linked the surge to a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling barring the immediate return of migrants intercepted after arriving by sea without due process, a ruling that does not apply to those entering by land. Some migrant rights activists in Morocco have questioned that explanation, saying most migrants would have been unaware of the ruling.

The events have raised political tension across Europe: France announced tighter checks at its borders, and Spain and Italy spoke of new measures to curb migration, including calls by senior politicians to suspend Spain from the Schengen free-travel area. Sanchez said his government was mobilising all available resources and would defend Ceuta "as if it were Madrid". He added that illegal immigration had fallen about 40 percent last year and that what had happened broke with that pattern. He said Moroccan authorities had expressed willingness to cooperate in facilitating repatriations.