RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Forbes — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 2 sources
Topline Thousands of Moroccan migrants crossed a Spanish border into the tiny territory of Ceuta on Thursday, overwhelming local leaders who have asked Spain to declare a state of emergency—as videos of the migrants flood social media, outraging right-wing politicians and activists.
Videos on social media and local reports show thousands of migrants have poured into Ceuta on Thursday, which Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Ceuta’s border police, said has caused “absolute chaos.”
Sbihi reportedly said he does not know exactly how many migrants have crossed the border, but said the amount is in the “thousands,” saying the border has “totally collapsed.”
Juan Jesús Vivas, the leader of Ceuta’s regional government, demanded Spain declare a national emergency and offer an increased police and army presence in the area, but Spain’s Interior Ministry said it could not declare a national emergency over migration concerns, the Associated Press reported.
Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s prime minister, said in a post on X the government is “fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta,” saying it is “mobilizing all necessary resources” and “working with Moroccan and international authorities.”
The leader of Spain’s opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the conservative People’s Party, said in a post that the “situation in Ceuta is desperate” and said the government “cannot look the other way on its obligations because we are facing a national security crisis.”
The European People’s Party, of which Feijóo’s party is a member, said in a post on X the European Commission “must hold Sánchez accountable” for “failing to protect Spain’s external border,” alleging Europe is “paying the price.”
Ceuta is a small Spanish city located on North Africa’s coast, bordering both the Mediterranean Sea and Morocco. Ceuta has belonged to Spain since the 16th century and is one of few African territories the nation still possesses, also including Melilla, another coastal city that borders Morocco. Both Ceuta and Melilla are frequent destinations for African migrants who hope to use the cities as entry points to Europe.
The reason behind Thursday’s sudden surge is unclear, but on Wednesday, an influx of migrants had attempted to cross the Spanish border by swimming, the Associated Press reported. Opposition party politicians in Spain and Europe pointed to Sánchez’s pro-immigration stances as the reason for the surge, referencing a policy his government implemented earlier this year that would give about half a million undocumented immigrants legal status in Spain.
Videos of large numbers of migrants appearing to cross the Spanish border into Ceuta went widely viral on social media Thursday, frequently circulated by right-wing commentators who are critical of immigration. Billionaire Elon Musk said on Thursday afternoon the migration surge is “absolutely an invasion,” and he reposted a tweet from commentator and Canadian marketing professor Gad Saad that accused Western politicians of being “treasonous” with “castrated, weak, lobotomized ideologues.” A video posted to X by Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s far-right Vox party, also called the influx of migrants an “invasion” and accused “Sánchez's corrupt government” of “desperately calling in more hitmen to stay in power.” Abascal’s video garnered more than 2.2 million views as of Thursday afternoon. Abascal posted another video Thursday morning, garnering 2.6 million views, accusing Sánchez of being a “traitor, a corrupt man, and an indecent person,” calling for his ouster.
In May 2021, Ceuta experienced a similar, sudden influx when more than 8,000 migrants poured into the territory—which has a population of about 85,000—over just two days. Sánchez called the surge a “serious crisis for Spain and for Europe,” and the government deployed troops to control the border, after which many migrants were returned to Morocco. Vivas, at the time, said local officials were “not even in a position to calculate the number of people who have entered,” saying the “mood among Ceuta’s population is now one of anguish, uncertainty, unease and fear.” The 2021 surge occurred amid strained relations between Spain and Morocco after Moroccan officials reacted with outrage after Brahim Ghali, leader of a separatist movement fighting for Western Sahara’s independence, was treated for COVID-19 under an alias in Spain.
‘Absolute chaos’ as thousands of people breach Morocco’s border with Spain’s Ceuta (Associated Press)
More than 6,000 migrants reach Spain’s north African enclave Ceuta (The Guardian)
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.