Pedro Sánchez defends Ceuta border response as leaked police report points to Moroccan inaction

Parliamentary defense and Moroccan scrutiny

Pedro Sánchez defended his government's handling of the Ceuta border surge during an extraordinary session of the Spanish Congress on 3 September 2026. Addressing lawmakers, Sánchez stated that no Spanish intelligence institution, European Union body, or international organization had produced evidence that Moroccan authorities planned or orchestrated the late July border crossing. However, he questioned the lack of Moroccan border policing during a critical 10-hour window on 30 July, demanding clarification on whether Moroccan forces experienced incapacity or engaged in deliberate inaction.

What caused the lack of control during those central hours of Thursday, July 30? That is something that obviously must be determined. Whether there was incapacity or inaction needs to be clarified.

Leaked Cenif findings and opposition backlash

The prime minister's remarks followed the leak of an internal investigative report compiled by the National Center for Immigration and Borders (Cenif), published by El Español on 2 September 2026. The police document alleged that Moroccan gendarmerie units displayed total permissiveness, failed to disperse crowds, and directed migrants toward shallow water crossings into Ceuta. Conservative Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused the government of incompetence or complicity, arguing that security services warned ministers three days before the surge of roughly 72,000 people. Vox leader Santiago Abascal also called for Sánchez to resign, while left-wing coalition partner Sumar questioned how tens of thousands could assemble without Moroccan state awareness.

The operation originated in Morocco, was permitted by Morocco, and there are indications that Morocco coordinated it and that the government knew because it was warned about it.

Intelligence walked back and diplomatic tensions

During his congressional appearance, Sánchez walked back statements made earlier in the week regarding foreign interference. On 31 August 2026, he had asserted that social media misinformation encouraging the border run was tied to networks in Russia and Israel, drawing official denials from both governments. Sánchez told lawmakers that Spanish intelligence agencies cannot presently confirm involvement by Russia, Israel, or Morocco in propagating the online messages. In addition, the government disclosed that Spain summoned Moroccan Ambassador Karima Benyaich on 21 August 2026 after two Moroccan ministers asserted territorial claims over Ceuta and Melilla.

Humanitarian conditions and legal constraints

The crisis has placed severe pressure on Ceuta, an exclave of 84,000 residents on the North African coast. While approximately 90% of those who crossed returned to Morocco within 72 hours, between 5,000 and 10,000 migrants remain in makeshift camps along beaches and urban facilities. Spanish law prohibits collective expulsions, requiring individual processing for each asylum application, a procedure expected to take weeks or months. On 2 September 2026, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Ceuta and Madrid to protest government migration policy, as opposition figures criticized a previous spring initiative regularizing undocumented residents.