Spanish Police Say Mass Migration to Ceuta Was a Planned Operation, Not a Spontaneous Incident

The mass arrival of about 72,000 migrants in Ceuta on July 30 and 31 was not a spontaneous border incident, Spanish police intelligence has concluded. The operation, according to the report, was directed on the ground by Moroccan security forces, while people in civilian clothes gave instructions to Moroccan police.

The report was prepared by CENIF, the Spanish National Centre for Immigration and Borders, and sent to Spain’s National Court. Prosecutors now have the document. Judge María Tardón requested the information while on duty on July 31, seeking to determine whether the events contained elements of a crime against the independence of the state.

CENIF argues that the operation had been planned in advance and that the migrant movement served as cover for an effort to overload Spain’s border-control system and reduce its ability to respond. The report rejects the possibility that criminal groups organized a spontaneous movement or that calls on social media triggered it.

Police say they had already warned on July 29 of a possible entry into Ceuta and Melilla by sea the following day. Border posts were told to expect an “extremely high risk” of coordinated illegal entries by swimming and over the fences. According to the report, Moroccan gendarmes instructed migrants how to reach Ceuta and directed thousands gathered in Castillejos toward designated areas. Civilians allegedly monitored events and guided migrants toward the El Tarajal breakwater. Police say video shows those individuals giving instructions to Moroccan officers.

The report also points to the changing profile of those arriving. Before 11 a.m. on July 30, the first wave consisted mainly of Moroccan men aged 15 to 25. Many wore wetsuits, flippers or carried flotation devices, suggesting preparation for a sea crossing. After 11 a.m., families, women and children began arriving, most in sportswear and flip-flops and without sea-crossing equipment. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez previously called the event an “attack on Spain’s territorial integrity,” while also thanking Morocco for its cooperation.

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attack on Spain’s territorial integrity