Spain builds sea barrier in Ceuta after 60,000 migrants cross from Morocco, death toll reaches 67

The crossing

On Thursday and Friday, 30 and 31 July, around 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, a Spanish exclave on the North African coast with a population of 83,000. The surge followed a late-June ruling by Spain's Supreme Court that barred immediate returns of those arriving by sea, a decision that spread widely on social media. Most of those who made the journey swam or used makeshift flotation devices, including children's rings and life jackets, to round the breakwater that extends the land border fence into the Mediterranean.

Death toll and chaos

By Saturday, 1 August, the Spanish government confirmed 67 deaths, up from 57 reported on Friday evening. Victims drowned during the sea crossing or were trampled in panicked attempts to scale the breakwater barrier. The city was overwhelmed: shops closed, residents stayed indoors, and streets filled with people in swimwear without food or money. One resident told a local radio station:

It's like an apocalypse. Waves of people everywhere.

Dris Mohamed, chairman of the Andalusian Party, described the situation as "worrying and very complicated", noting that children were on the streets and thefts were occurring.

There is no room for everyone in Ceuta, the streets are full of children, and thefts are happening in some shops. As the hours pass, people get hungry and have nothing to eat.

Spain's response

On Saturday morning, the Guardia Civil began installing a 500-metre floating barrier along the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach, the main landing point. The barrier rises 30 to 70 centimetres above the water and is submerged about 100 centimetres below, designed to block swimmers from reaching the shore. Spain's Interior Ministry said the vast majority of migrants had already been returned to Morocco, with around 50,000 sent back by Friday evening. A small number of arrivals continued on Saturday; a boat that landed at Tarajal was immediately intercepted by soldiers, who escorted the occupants back to the border. Some returnees told the Associated Press they went back voluntarily, while others complained of beatings by Spanish police and said they had spent recent nights in the forest near Ceuta.

Political fallout

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sent a letter to EU leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, rejecting calls from Italy, Finland, and other member states to temporarily exclude Spain from the Schengen zone. He called the reaction "selfish, polarising and illegal" and insisted that Spanish authorities had restored full border control within 48 hours, provided humanitarian aid, and returned nearly all migrants. Meanwhile, 22 EU countries led by Italy and Denmark signed a joint letter demanding action. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the centre-right Partido Popular travelled to Ceuta, while Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and military units remained deployed in the city.

Calm returns

By Saturday, reporters on the ground described a relative calm, though many shops stayed shut and residents stocked up on supplies at larger supermarkets that remained open. The floating barrier was being erected, and the flow of new arrivals had slowed to a trickle. Residents cautioned that a full return to normal life would take time. The immediate crisis appeared contained, but the political battle over migration policy and Schengen rules was only beginning.