Morocco Acknowledges 40000 Migrant Crossings in Ceuta Crisis

Morocco has officially acknowledged that around 40,000 migrants managed to enter Spanish territory in recent days amid a migration crisis that has placed Ceuta at the center of the European political agenda. The acknowledgment, issued by Moroccan government sources, comes as the Spanish autonomous city attempts to restore normalcy following several days of mass crossings and tension at the border perimeter.

Rabat points to smuggling networks and misinformation

Moroccan authorities have so far avoided taking direct responsibility for the crisis. Instead, they attribute the surge to a combination of factors: the actions of human trafficking networks that allegedly organized and facilitated the mass crossings, a wave of misinformation spread across social media, and a misinterpretation of a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling regarding “hot returns.”

According to Rabat’s version, thousands of people —many from sub-Saharan countries as well as Moroccan citizens— mistakenly understood that the court ruling opened a legal loophole to cross into Spanish territory without consequences. This interpretation, fueled by viral messages and smuggling networks charging migrants to organize their passage, triggered the avalanche of crossings registered in previous days.

Ceuta stabilizes

Following the peak of tension, the situation at the Ceuta border perimeter has progressively normalized. Spanish authorities have reinforced surveillance at the most sensitive points, while identification processes and, where applicable, returns of those who crossed irregularly continue. The influx of new arrivals has dropped significantly compared to the most critical moments of the crisis, although concerns remain regarding the reception capacity of the autonomous city, whose resources were overwhelmed during the peak influx.

Brussels distrusts Sanchez’s management

The Ceuta crisis has not gone unnoticed in Brussels. A bloc of 22 European Union countries, led by Italy and Denmark, has openly expressed distrust in how Pedro Sanchez’s government managed the episode. This group is already preparing its stance ahead of an upcoming European summit focused on border policy, where Spain’s management of the crisis and its implications for the rest of the bloc will likely be debated, especially regarding the distribution of migration responsibilities among member states.

The Spanish government, for its part, has opted for silence over the past few days. Neither La Moncloa nor the Ministry of the Interior has issued new public statements since the situation began to stabilize, a move that contrasts with the intensity of the debate the crisis has sparked both within Spain and abroad.

Economic ties shape bilateral relations

Any temptation to escalate diplomatic tensions between Madrid and Rabat collides with a difficult-to-ignore economic reality: Morocco is Spain’s main trading partner in the region, with an annual exchange exceeding 22 billion euros. This economic interdependence serves as a natural brake on political tensions and largely explains the caution both governments have exercised in handling the episode publicly.

Data contradicts a widespread crisis narrative

Despite the scale of the events in Ceuta, overall irregular migration figures to Europe do not support the idea of a continental crisis. According to Frontex and the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, irregular migration dropped by 37% in 2026 compared to the previous year. This declining trend heavily contrasts with the emergency perception generated by the Ceuta crisis among the public and much of the European political class.

Trump enters the debate

The episode has also resonated across the Atlantic. US President Donald Trump publicly referenced the Spanish migration crisis, warning that something similar “is going to happen to us in three years if the wrong side gets into power.” The statements, made within the context of the intense migration debate in the US, highlight how the Ceuta crisis has transcended bilateral Spanish-Moroccan relations to become a talking point in the global border control argument.

What happens next

In the short term, attention will remain on the European border summit, where the bloc led by Italy and Denmark seeks to impose a more critical stance on Spanish management. Madrid, meanwhile, must balance the need to address European criticism without damaging relations with Rabat, upon which much of its foreign trade and border control cooperation relies. The 40,000 crossings acknowledged by Morocco will predictably remain the benchmark figure in this debate, even as underlying statistics point to a downward migration trend.