Assyrian4all / chaldean4all
+ Feed+ News
Categories
#Assyrian/Chaldean/syriac▾
AINAassyrianaidassyriatvatourChaldeansyriacpress
#Middle East in Arabic▾
Al Jazeera ArabicBBC ArabicRT Arabic
#Middle East in English▾
Al JazeeraAl-MonitorBBC NewsThe Guardian
#World▾
Al JazeeraBBC NewsCNNDeutsche WelleNew York TimesRTThe GuardianWall Street JournalWashingtonYahoo
#Assyrian Multimedia News▾
AssyriaSuroyos
#World Multimedia News▾
Al Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishBBC NewsDW NewsESPNReuters
#sports▾
BBC SportESPNcricinfoSky SportsThe Guardian
#USA▾
bridgemimanisteenewsmetrotimeswxyz
World📡 New York TimesBy Jonathan WolfeJul 31, 2026👁 1 views

What Caused the Surge of Migrants From Morocco Into Ceuta?

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.

What Caused the Surge in Ceuta?

Speculation has focused on lax Moroccan policing, attractive Spanish immigration policies and misinformation from human traffickers. In reality, experts said, it’s too early to know.

Listen · 4:50 min
A Spanish soldier keeping watch on Friday at the Spanish-Moroccan border.Credit...Jon Nazca/Reuters

By Jonathan Wolfe

Published July 31, 2026Updated Aug. 1, 2026, 10:56 a.m. ET

When tens of thousands of migrants began crossing on Thursday into Spanish territory in Africa, leading to chaotic scenes and political infighting across Europe, there was one major question that sparked wildly different explanations. How did this happen?

  • The European far right joined the White House in accusing Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, of inspiring the crossings with his migrant-friendly policies.

  • Mr. Sánchez blamed human-trafficking networks for misleading migrants about the ease with which they could remain on Spanish territory.

  • Migrants said in interviews that the Moroccan authorities had encouraged their crossing.

    • In reality, said Krzysztof Borowski, a spokesman for the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, “It’s too early to give a real account of why this surge happened, or how it moved so fast.”

    Here’s why the surge prompted such speculation.

    Morocco’s lax border restrictions

    Usually, Moroccan officials make it hard for migrants to get close to Ceuta, the Spanish exclave that neighbors Morocco. This week, several migrants said in interviews, police officers waved them through, allowing them to overwhelm Spain’s border fence with relative ease.

    That has led to suggestions that Morocco was seeking to pressure Spain for political reasons. Perhaps, analysts said, Morocco wanted to deter Spain from strengthening ties with Algeria, Morocco’s neighbor and rival. Mr. Sánchez visited Algeria in July, weeks after his foreign minister made a similar trip and spoke of importing more Algerian gas.

    “For me, that plays a fairly central role,” said Lorenzo Gabrielli, a senior researcher at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona who researches migration in Ceuta. “It is impossible for nearly 50,000 people to cross the border between Morocco and Spain in a single day without Morocco having a hand in it,” he added.

    He said it recalled an episode in 2021, when more than 10,000 people came over the border in two days, and said it was part of a cycle that Morocco uses to exert pressure on Spain.

    We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

    Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

    Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

    Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

    Already a subscriber? Log in.

    Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

    Supported by

    SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

    Advertisement

    SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
    FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsAppEmailRead original ↗