Ceuta President Tells Court He Made 10 Unanswered Warnings to Moncloa Ahead of July Border Entry

Judicial testimony on Moncloa communications

On 30 September 2026, Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas delivered a witness testimony lasting over two hours before National Court Judge María Tardón in Madrid. The judicial inquiry originated from a legal complaint filed by Iustitia Europa following the irregular entry of approximately 80,000 people into the autonomous city between 30 and 31 July. Vivas told Judge Tardón and Chief Prosecutor Jesús Alonso that he made ten separate attempts over 76 hours between 25 and 30 July to speak directly with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez about the deteriorating border conditions.

Vivas stated that he only received a response to three of his ten contact attempts, speaking each time with Moncloa Chief of Staff Diego Rubio rather than Sánchez. Rubio instructed the regional president that the mandatory channel of communication was the Government Delegation in Ceuta rather than the Presidency. Vivas explained that about 1,500 migrants had entered Ceuta by swimming from Morocco starting on 25 July, leaving local reception centers for minors overwhelmed within 72 hours. Sánchez did not speak directly with Vivas until 30 July, after the mass border entry had already begun.

Emergency declarations and ministerial contacts

During his judicial appearance, Vivas outlined contacts held between 27 and 30 July with four cabinet members: Minister of Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres, Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares, Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and Minister of Defense Margarita Robles. Vivas also consulted with Secretary of State for Security Aina Calvo. According to his testimony, all four ministers characterized the events as a standard migratory issue rather than a national security emergency.

Throughout these exchanges, Vivas made three formal requests to central authorities: declaring a national emergency, establishing a unified command, and deploying substantial police reinforcements to the autonomous city. He also urged the central government to close the border by invoking the Citizen Security Law. Central authorities declined these initial requests during July. The central executive established a unified command under Minister Torres and classified the situation under national security criteria nearly a month later.

Intelligence alerts and official resignations

The court proceedings also address administrative actions within the Government Delegation in Ceuta preceding the border crossings. Gonzalo Sanz, chief of staff to then-Government Delegate Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, resigned from his post on 11 September following the declassification of intelligence documents by Moncloa on 9 September. The declassified records showed that a National Intelligence Centre (CNI) agent communicated warnings regarding border mobilization to Sanz on 29 July through phone calls and text messages.

A dispute emerged after Pérez Triano denied receiving intelligence briefings from his subordinate, stating publicly that informal messages did not constitute formal institutional alerts. Sanz stated in his resignation letter that he passed the CNI warnings directly to the government delegate on the same day he received them. Pérez Triano subsequently resigned, and Sanz was summoned to testify before Judge Tardón regarding the handling of intelligence data.

Political reactions to the court proceedings

Following Vivas's court appearance, Minister Ángel Víctor Torres addressed reporters after chairing a meeting of the Special Situation Committee on Ceuta at the Government Delegation headquarters. Torres noted that witnesses are legally required to provide accurate testimony and accepted the veracity of Vivas's statements.

Mr. Vivas appeared today as a witness before the National Court. As everyone knows, witnesses are obliged to tell the truth, and I have no doubt that what he said is the truth.

Torres stated that earlier intelligence notices from 2023 through 2026 did not state that 80,000 individuals would enter the enclave. Opposition leaders criticized the central government's crisis management. People's Party Secretary General Miguel Tellado posted comments on social platform X addressing the delay in direct contact between the prime minister and regional authorities.

President Vivas tried to speak with Sánchez up to 10 times before the invasion. He only received contempt and silence in response; he must have been busy packing flip-flops into his suitcase.

Tellado called for political accountability, while the National Court continues to examine the actions of responsible officials.