A late-July 2026 border surge brought about 80,000 migrants from Morocco into Spain's Ceuta territory, with at least 18 dying during crossings.
Where it stands
Up to 9,000 migrants remain in Ceuta; Spain has created a single command to accelerate returns, while anti-migrant protests have turned violent.
Migrant deaths during Ceuta crossings
≥18
77 readings
Migrants arriving in Ceuta during border surge
~80,000
46 readings
Migrants detained by Morocco during August 15 attempted Ceuta crossing
111
24 readings
Migrants returned to Morocco from Ceuta
70,000
10 readings
Minors remaining in Ceuta
1,000
8 readings
Migrant girls under 14 allegedly sexually assaulted in Ceuta
≥5
2 readings
Migrants remaining in Ceuta
≤9,000
2 readings
Rapes reported during Ceuta migrant crisis
≥15cases
2 readings
Migrants missing in Ceuta
29
Sub-stories
–Pulse
No coverage in this range.
Pulse measures how actively a story is being covered right now.
Every article counts as a vote whose weight fades over time — an article published today counts as 1.0, one from two days ago counts 0.5, four days ago 0.25, and so on (a 2-day half-life). Pulse is the sum of those weights, so fresh coverage lifts it and old bursts fade away smoothly.
Dated by when the figure applies, not when it was reported. Larger dots are more sources reporting the same number.
Following:
showing all 83 events
August 2026
2 days ago
Aug 28Spain's interior minister urged calm in Ceuta
Aug 28Spain asked Frontex and Europol to process migrants
3 days ago
Aug 27Anti-migrant protesters burned shelters and clashed with police
Tue, Aug 25
Aug 25Spain created single command to accelerate migrant returns
Aug 25Spain apologised to Ceuta residents for handling migrant influx
Fri, Aug 21
Aug 21Spain began burying migrants who died during crossings
Thu, Aug 20
Aug 20Spain began housing migrants in temporary Ceuta shelters
Wed, Aug 19
Aug 19 Police cleared migrants' makeshift beach camp
Aug 19Spain prepared urgent mainland transfer of 500 migrant girls
Tue, Aug 18
Aug 18Migrant women reported sexual harassment and assault
Aug 18Ceuta residents said Spain did too little to prevent another crossing
Mon, Aug 17
Aug 17Spanish police investigated 15 alleged sexual assaults
Sun, Aug 16
Aug 16Migrants protested in Ceuta demanding asylum
Sat, Aug 15
Aug 15Morocco detained migrants attempting another mass crossing into Ceuta
Fri, Aug 14
Aug 14Instagram accounts offered migrants paid advice on Ceuta crossings
Aug 14NGOs warned migrant children faced abuse and exploitation
Aug 14Spanish and Moroccan officers reinforced Ceuta's border
Aug 14Spain deployed additional police and military personnel
Aug 14Morocco deployed security forces and increased naval patrols near Ceuta
Thu, Aug 13
Aug 13Ceuta prepared for possible August 15 migrant crossings
Mon, Aug 10
Aug 10Ceuta's leader demanded migrants' detention and expulsion
Aug 10Spain cancelled leave for military personnel in Ceuta
Sun, Aug 9
Aug 9Italy condemned Spain's border checks as unacceptable
Sat, Aug 8
Aug 8Spain checked about 200 arrivals from Italy on first day
Fri, Aug 7
Aug 7 Spain began checks on travellers arriving from Italy
Aug 7 A migrant died attempting to paraglide into Ceuta
Aug 7EU opened disinformation talks with Meta and TikTok
Aug 7Spanish police dismantled a speedboat migrant-smuggling network
Aug 7Italy refused to lift checks on Spanish travellers
Aug 7Spain gave Italy two days to lift border controls
Aug 7Spanish police reinforced efforts to identify migrants' bodies
Aug 7Spain announced temporary entry checks on arrivals from Italy
Thu, Aug 6
Aug 6Spain investigated a possible August 15 mass crossing
Wed, Aug 5
Aug 5Ceuta's leader called stranded children's numbers unsustainable
Aug 5Ceuta authorities sought mainland transfers for unaccompanied minors
Tue, Aug 4
Aug 4Spanish authorities reportedly identified suspected jihadists among Ceuta arrivals
Aug 4Spain allocated €25 million for stranded migrant children
Aug 4EU halted migrants' onward movement from Ceuta
Aug 4EU ministers criticised Spain's migrant regularisation policy
Mon, Aug 3
Aug 3Migrants lacked food, water and basic facilities in Ceuta
Aug 3Spain declared its sovereignty over Ceuta unquestionable
Aug 3Spain and Morocco traded blame over deadly crossings
Aug 3Unaccompanied minors remained stranded in Ceuta
Aug 3Ceuta's leader accused Morocco of encouraging or permitting crossings
Aug 3European Commission president proposed more border support for Morocco
Aug 3Morocco blamed disinformation and traffickers for the crossings
Aug 3Ireland's EU presidency convened emergency interior ministers' talks
Sun, Aug 2
Aug 2Spain denied ignoring intelligence warnings about Ceuta crossings
Aug 2Moroccan families searched for news of loved ones
Aug 2Spain's far-right politicians visited the Ceuta border
Aug 2Police and soldiers escorted migrants back toward Morocco
Sat, Aug 1
Aug 1European Commission president said no migrants reached mainland Spain
Aug 1Spain said 50,000 migrants had returned to Morocco
Aug 1Czech prime minister called for Spain's Schengen suspension
Aug 1Sánchez urged an EU meeting in Commission letter
Aug 1EU leaders called for emergency interior ministers' talks
Aug 1Spain began installing a sea barrier at Ceuta
Aug 1Sánchez condemned EU governments' response to Ceuta crossings
July 2026
Fri, Jul 31
Jul 31Israel's UN ambassador accused Spain of hypocrisy over Ceuta crossings
Jul 31Shops closed and Ceuta cancelled annual festivities
Jul 31Far-right parties used crossings to attack Spain's migration policy
Jul 31EU faced one of its largest recent migrant crises
Jul 31Sánchez blamed trafficking networks for the migrant influx
Jul 31Former UK home secretary demanded action to prevent Ceuta migrants reaching Britain
Jul 31France ordered increased checks along its Spanish border
Jul 31Clashes erupted near Morocco's border crossing with Ceuta
Jul 31Italy suspended Schengen arrangements with Spain for one month
Jul 31Sánchez faced criticism over his handling of the crossings
Jul 31Spain and Morocco reinforced Ceuta's border fence
Jul 31Sánchez condemned the migrant influx as an attack
Jul 31Spain said 25,000 migrants returned to Morocco
Jul 31Trump used Ceuta crossings to warn against Democrats
Jul 31Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Ceuta
Thu, Jul 30
Jul 30Spain summoned Italy's ambassador over Schengen exclusion demands
Jul 30White House accused Spain of facilitating mass migration into Europe
Jul 30Italian leaders called for Spain's suspension from Schengen
Jul 30Ceuta asked Spain for national emergency and troops
Jul 30Ceuta declared a humanitarian and security emergency
Jul 30Spain deployed troops to reinforce Ceuta's border
Jul 30Thousands crossed Ceuta's border on foot and by sea
Wed, Jul 29
Jul 29French police let a stranded migrant boat resume crossing
Jul 29Hundreds of migrants swam from Morocco toward Ceuta
Wed, Jul 8
Jul 8Spain's supreme court issued a migration ruling