Spain reports 14,818 migrants returned from Ceuta to Morocco as Vivas says the city still feels invaded

Weekly returns to Morocco

On Tuesday, 3 November, the Spanish government said 14,818 migrants who had entered Ceuta during the mass entry of 30 and 31 July had returned to Morocco. That is 995 more than the previous week, according to the government's weekly data update. Of those returns, 14,180 were voluntary and 638 were expulsions handled through formal procedures. Minister Elma Saiz, who also speaks for the government, gave the figures at the press conference after the Council of Ministers. She added that 6,113 people had passed through triage since 30 July to be identified and receive assistance.

“This week, 14,818 people have already returned to Morocco, 995 more than last week, of whom 14,180 were voluntary returns and 638 expulsions.”

Voluntary returns14,180

Expulsions638

Voluntary returns

14180 people

Expulsions

638 people

Data from the article text

Reception centres and minors

Saiz said the government is working to dismantle the temporary reception centres in Ceuta "as quickly as possible" so the city can return to normal. Those centres were set up between August and October to house irregular migrants who had been living on the streets. Among the minors, 135 have been reunited with their families and 181 have been relocated to other regions under article 35 of the immigration law. Reports have been sent to Morocco in 89 cases with the aim of returning those minors to their families, but Saiz did not say whether Morocco had replied or accepted. The government counts 3,650 minors in the regional protection system.

Vivas renews accusations against Madrid

Three months after the crisis, Ceuta's president Juan Jesús Vivas repeated his criticism of the central government at the Palacio de la Asamblea on Tuesday, 3 November. He accused Morocco of seeking to destabilise Ceuta and of reviving what he called annexationist aspirations, and he described the central government's stance toward Rabat as shameless submission. Vivas said the central government ignored intelligence reports and local requests for a state of alarm, a single command, reinforcement of security forces and an army deployment. In his words, the invasion could have been avoided if the central government had acted as it should:

Vivas also said the city now hosts reception places for more than 11,000 people, that its population has grown by 20%, and that crime has risen by 60%. He cited a 300% rise in calls to the 112 emergency number and a 1,200% rise in incidents at the port, and said residents still feel invaded.

Budget and minors in care

The 2027 budget framework for Ceuta totals 448.48 million euros, 5.38% above the 425.5 million of the previous year. Finance councillor Kissy Chandiramani called it a "budget of war". In early 2026 the city cared for 180 unaccompanied foreign minors, twice its critical capacity of 90 places, while El Confidencial reports that Ceuta now has 3,331 minors under its guardianship. The city has opened about twenty reception resources, ten of them new since July, and has frozen 6 million euros as "crédito indisponible" until Spain transfers the extraordinary funds it owes. A contingency fund of 4.3 million euros has been created for the new strategic fund 'Ceuta no se rinde'.

Early 2026180

Reported 2 November 20263,331

Early 2026

180 minors

Reported 2 November 2026

3331 minors

Data from the article text

Situation on the ground

Le Soir reported on 2 November that temperatures had dropped and social tension had eased since the mass arrival. Beach camps have been evacuated, and expulsions of migrants to Morocco are now carried out every day. That report put the number returned at nearly 14,000, with about 7,000 people still in reception centres. It added that the executive led by Vivas estimated 4,000 more people had not yet been identified. These figures predate the government update published on 3 November.