Spain's Albares visits Ceuta, pledges all irregular migrants will be returned to Morocco
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares visited Ceuta on August 11, 2026, pledging that every migrant who entered irregularly on July 30 will be returned to Morocco, as between 8,000 and 11,000 people remain in the enclave.
Albares visits Ceuta for first time
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares travelled to Ceuta on August 11, 2026, nearly two weeks after the mass entry of migrants on July 30. Albares noted that no Spanish foreign minister had ever visited the enclave before. He met with Ceuta president Juan Jesús Vivas at the Palacio de la Asamblea, on what was the second consecutive day of a government presence in the city after territorial policy minister Víctor Torres visited the previous day. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had travelled to Ceuta on July 31, the day after the mass crossing, and defined the event as an attack on territorial integrity.
- Supreme Court rules sea is not a physical barrier, banning automatic 'hot returns' of migrants arriving by swimming to Ceuta and Melilla
- Mass entry of 72,000 to 80,000 migrants crosses Ceuta border at Tarajal
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visits Ceuta and defines the event as an attack on territorial integrity
- Foreign Minister Albares visits Ceuta, meets president Vivas, pledges all irregular entrants will be returned to Morocco
Scale of the crossing and returns
The number of people who crossed the border at Tarajal on July 30 varies by source: El Periódico and Europa Press report 72,000, while El Confidencial, 20 minutos and El Mundo cite up to 80,000. El Periódico reports that 70,000 of the 72,000 have already been returned. The local Ceuta government says between 8,000 and 11,000 migrants remain in the city and has requested their confinement. Albares confirmed that none of the displaced persons reached the Iberian Peninsula.
Government blames misinformation
Albares attributed the crisis to the distortion on social media of a Supreme Court ruling issued on July 8, 2026. The ruling prohibited automatic 'hot returns' of migrants arriving by swimming, on the grounds that the sea does not constitute a physical barrier. Albares said this ruling was 'deformed' on social networks, creating false expectations among potential migrants.
No arriesguen sus vidas, su dinero y su futuro en una aventura abocada al fracaso. Quien entre irregularmente en Ceuta y Melilla, que sepan que van a ser devueltos.
Moroccan cooperation and diplomatic contacts
Albares emphasised that he speaks with Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita every day, sometimes more than once. He said Rabat showed willingness to cooperate from the first moment, enabling the return of thousands of people within hours, and that Morocco had asked nothing in return. Albares also said he is in permanent contact with the European Commission, which has met with digital platforms in recent days to prevent the spread of further misinformation.
Broader political context
Albares called for unity among all Spanish political forces and European institutions in responding to the migration wave. He asked the EU to guarantee the specificity of the Ceuta and Melilla border regime while maintaining commitment to the Schengen area. From Sweden, the impact was attributed to a regularisation approved by Sánchez months earlier. The crisis has also produced a diplomatic clash with Italy, with Albares pointing to what he called an 'internacional reaccionaria' with connections in Europe and Spain. Separately, Albares reported that 160 Spaniards in Colombia remain uncontacted after the earthquake that killed at least 132 people.
