Spain disregarded Ceuta warnings before migrant rush, say border workers' unions

Border workers warned Spain's central government weeks before more than 70,000 migrants rushed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, saying arrivals by sea were rising and an escalation was likely.

Spain's government did not heed their warnings and took little action, union representatives told Reuters. At least 94 people died in the crossing on July 29 and 30.

Why did Spain fail to act on Ceuta warnings?

Border workers' unions issued public and private warnings weeks before the mass crossing, telling Spain's central government that arrivals by sea were rising and that an escalation was likely. Spanish authorities did not heed these warnings and took little action in response, according to union representatives who spoke to Reuters. Spain's government has instead blamed the rush on misinformation spread by criminal networks.

What triggered the mass migrant crossing into Ceuta?

A Spanish court ruling published on June 29 stated migrants could only be immediately pushed back from entering Ceuta if they crossed a physical barrier, specifying that anyone swimming to the enclave did not meet that condition. News of the ruling, combined with viral videos of migrants successfully entering Ceuta, encouraged growing numbers of people to attempt the crossing. Spanish authorities say 80 people died in the rush, while Moroccan authorities recovered 14 bodies in their territory, putting the confirmed death toll at 94. Human rights groups say more people remain missing and the true toll could be higher.

What did border unions say about the risk of escalation?

Rachid Sbihi, spokesperson for Spain's Civil Guard police trade union AUGC in Ceuta, said no one could have imagined the scale of what took place on July 30. "We understood the ruling would trigger more arrivals. The ruling, the criminal gangs, and social media networks were an explosive cocktail," he told Reuters. A Spanish Interior Ministry spokesperson said authorities studied various options after the court ruling before installing a floating barrier on August 1, adding that this assessment allowed the barrier to be installed within 48 hours of the decision to do so.

What warnings did unions send to the government before the crossing?

Reuters reviewed six written statements and letters sent to the national government representative in Ceuta and the enclave's police chief, calling for guidance and action after the court ruling. The AUGC Civil Guard union said in a July 10 statement that the ruling "has opened a legal loophole which only well-defined protocols can close," and that clear nightly instructions were needed for border agents until a physical sea barrier was installed. Three days later, police union SUP warned on X that criminal gangs adapt their routes when return procedures become slower, calling for reinforced staffing and a "coherent and effective" immigration policy.

In a July 23 letter to Ceuta's police chief, seen by Reuters, the union flagged "constant arrivals by sea with direct repercussions on staff which conventional police infrastructure is not conceived to handle" and called for a temporary reception centre. Spain's Interior Ministry did not respond, while the government delegate offered an appointment weeks later, according to spokespeople from unions AUGC and SUP. A spokesperson for the delegate to Ceuta said there was no link between the rising arrivals before July 29 and 30 and the mass crossing that followed, adding that the delegate remained in constant communication with police despite being unable to attend requested meetings.

What role did Morocco play before the mass crossing?

Morocco is one of several North African countries the European Union pays to help police its borders, and it received €152 million ($176 million) from the EU in 2023. Morocco says it spends around €500 million a year on border control in the north and increases frontier checks when social media calls for collective crossings are detected. Spanish and Moroccan border staff flagged rising crossing attempts from mid-July, but Morocco's more stringent measures, including bus and train station checks, began only one to two days before the mass crossing.

Morocco sent significant reinforcements only after arrivals spiralled into the tens of thousands on July 29, according to media reports, NGO testimonies and a Reuters witness. "They didn't do anything proactive. That strikes me as a policy failure," said Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa project director at International Crisis Group. A senior Moroccan government official said they had asked Spanish counterparts after the ruling whether it would generate problems, but did not disclose Spain's response, adding that tackling the consequences was Spain's responsibility. The same official said increasing security forces would have achieved nothing, given the strength of the pull factor.

How have the EU and Morocco responded to the Ceuta crisis?

The mass crossing, and Madrid and Rabat's stance in the weeks before it, has raised questions about Europe's reliance on other countries to police its borders. Spain and Morocco have nonetheless praised their cooperation, and the EU said it could provide more financial support. The European Commission said it would continue working with both countries to strengthen the border, and that Spain and Morocco were investigating last month's events at the frontier.

Moroccan officials have also stressed that Europe must do more to deter migrants in the first place. Spain's government has set itself apart from many peers on migration, urging a more humanitarian approach and registering undocumented migrants to allow them to work and support its fast-growing economy. "If Spain announces that it is willing to receive all immigrants, why are we forcing people to jump the fences and throw themselves into the sea?" Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi said this week in an interview with Spain's EFE agency. "Let's open the borders. If you are going to receive them, why are we stopping them?"