Juan Jesús Vivas, the Conservative President of Ceuta, Described the Influx As "An Atrocity" and "A Violation of Spain's Territorial"

Juan Jesús Vivas, the conservative president of Ceuta, described the influx as "an atrocity" and "a violation of Spain's territorial integrity, telling El País that locals viewed the events as "if not orchestrated, at least encouraged or permitted by Morocco. Spain's interior ministry said 48,300 of the roughly 50,000 people who arrived in Ceuta last week had been sent back to Morocco. The city, with a population of 84,000, was overwhelmed, and some EU member states blamed Spain for the crisis.

Vivas drew a parallel with May 2021, when Morocco loosened border controls during a diplomatic standoff over Spain's decision to allow a Western Sahara independence leader to be treated for Covid-19, allowing 10,000 people to cross in two days. Spanish intelligence services' preliminary assessment suggested the influx was not planned by Moroccan authorities but that Morocco had failed to stem the tide and in some cases facilitated passage. Intelligence sources told El País that a hoax spreading on social media, claiming that a Spanish court ruling allowed migrants arriving by sea to stay, likely triggered the rush.

Moroccan border surveillance dwindled and was lifted late last week, allowing tens of thousands to cross. In Ceuta, hundreds continued to sleep rough on beaches or near mosques. Ashraf, 28, a Moroccan national, said he defied his mother's warnings after seeing social media posts about the border opening.

"You might see me smile a little but inside I'm shattered, he said, recalling swimming past bodies. "The Moroccan police were pushing us toward the water and telling us 'swim, swim'. A mother searching for her children, aged 13 and 16, said she had been roaming the streets for days.

"I need help, she said, holding a photo of a smiling boy. "Some migrants told me they had seen them in Ceuta, but I can't find them. The crisis prompted some EU countries to call for Spain's suspension from the Schengen free-movement zone.