Spanish police report: Moroccan agents directed migrant flow into Ceuta

A Spanish police report says Moroccan agents helped guide a large migrant movement across the border into Ceuta in late July. The CENIF intelligence unit photographed at least 32 Moroccan agents, both in civilian clothes and uniforms, and submitted the images to the Audiencia Nacional, which is investigating the events.

The report also describes Moroccan agents coordinating trucks carrying migrants during the final stretch to Tarajal pier. Between 70,000 and 80,000 people crossed the border, according to the report. CENIF specializes in intelligence on migration and border issues, and its latest findings were sent to Judge María Tardón, who is leading the investigation.

The report highlights the migrants' mobile phones as another significant detail. Spanish digital surveillance officials found that 90.8% of the phones were registered in Morocco. Three percent used Algerian SIM cards, while one percent each used cards from Tunisia and Libya. Phones from several other African and Asian countries were also detected, along with Spanish, Canadian, Danish, German and Italian numbers.

No Russian or Israeli numbers were found, despite Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez blaming those countries, rather than Morocco, for the sudden migrant movement. Sumar, the left-wing party in Sánchez's government, rejects his account and accuses Morocco of using migrants as a political weapon to destabilize Spain.

Nearly 10,000 people who entered Ceuta in late July remain in the city, whose normal population is 88,000. Many lack identity documents, complicating both asylum applications and returns to Morocco, which accepts only people who can be identified. Ceuta residents, a community divided roughly equally between Christians and Muslims, are calling for Madrid to move those without shelter to mainland Spain, where accommodation resources are available. That would conflict with the European Union's demand that Spain not allow them into the Schengen Area.