The President of the Government has travelled to Ceuta and condemned the 'attack on the territorial integrity' of Spain. He announces a 10% increase in police forces and the deployment of buoys at the breakwater.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, travelled to Ceuta on Thursday to supervise the migration crisis that has erupted in recent hours and sent a message of firmness: the Executive will employ "all the levers, all the resources of the State" to ensure the safety of the people of Ceuta and restore normality "as soon as possible".
In his appearance before the media, Sánchez wanted to convey a direct message to the citizens of the autonomous city: "All of Spain stands with them". The President acknowledged the "emotional state of distress" that the population has been experiencing since the previous day and emphasized that the Government "is taking charge" of that situation.
The head of the Executive described what has happened as "a violation and an attack on the territorial integrity of a Spanish city", referring to the mass entry of migrants recorded in recent days. He also commented on what occurred in Melilla, although he noted that it was "to a lesser extent".
During his visit, Sánchez toured the Tarajal border and presided over a coordination meeting at the Assembly Palace. The meeting included the President of the Autonomous City, Jesús Vivas; the Government delegate, Miguel Ángel Pérez; heads of the National Police and Civil Guard, as well as the director of the CETI and Red Cross in Ceuta.
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who accompanied the President on the trip, will remain in the city for several days to monitor the evolution of the situation.
The mafias behind the surge
Pedro Sánchez explained that, according to conversations held with Moroccan authorities, the surge in irregular arrivals has a clear origin: the "self-serving interpretation" that the human trafficking mafias have made of a ruling by the Supreme Court.
This ruling, which ratifies a previous decision by the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia, establishes that the return of those who enter Spanish territory by swimming across the sea does not fit within border repatriations, as it considers that there is no physical border at that point.
The President lamented the loss of human lives that this crisis has caused and criticized the networks of human trafficking, which "deceive many young people". In this regard, he insisted that what has happened "breaks a consistent trend of reducing irregular flows".
"What underlies this is the self-serving interpretation that the human trafficking mafias have made of a ruling by the Supreme Court."
According to the data provided by Sánchez, irregular arrivals have decreased by about 36-37% so far this year, while in 2025 the decline was approximately 40%.
Police reinforcement and physical barriers
In light of the surge in arrivals following the ruling, the Government had already activated a temporary foreign attention centre in coordination with the Ceuta Executive, aiming to expedite repatriations and expulsions.
Now, Sánchez has announced a package of measures that includes a 10% increase in the National Police and Civil Guard forces, combined with the deployment of the Armed Forces. Additionally, buoys will be installed at the breakwater to create "a containment barrier, a physical barrier" that facilitates, from an administrative perspective, repatriation at the border.
Thirdly, the Executive aims to "expedite" the files and repatriation of migrants who have entered irregularly. Sánchez noted that many of them are already being sent out and that the Asylum Commission has met urgently to process the expulsion files.
The President wanted to emphasize the Government's commitment to Ceuta, which he defined as "unequivocal, total, and clear". At this point, he recalled that "no government has invested as much economic resources in state investments as the current one in the Autonomous City".
"We defend security and coexistence in Ceuta, just as we would defend it in the perimeter of the M-30 in Madrid," he stressed, to underline that "from an institutional, political, and developmental perspective, there is no periphery and there is no centre. We are all one".
Sánchez expressed gratitude for the bilateral cooperation with the Government of the Autonomous City and assured that he is the President of the Government who has visited this territory the most times, a gesture he wanted to link to that commitment to the present and future of Ceuta.
The President's visit comes at a time of maximum tension at the border, with hundreds of migrants in the vicinity and an enhanced security operation. The Executive's priority, as Sánchez conveyed, is to restore normality to the city and ensure coexistence.
You may also like
