Spain will reportedly deploy its military to help restore order along its border with Morocco after thousands of migrants streamed into the Spanish territory of Ceuta, prompting local officials to warn that the situation had descended into chaos.
The decision was announced Thursday after authorities in Ceuta requested reinforcements from Spain’s central government in Madrid to respond to a rapidly escalating border crisis. The situation reached a breaking point when large crowds breached the border fence separating the tiny Spanish enclave from Morocco.
Spain’s government said the Armed Forces would be sent to assist the Civil Guard in maintaining security throughout the city of Ceuta. Officials also announced that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez would travel to Ceuta on Friday alongside Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
Local officials described the conditions on the ground as increasingly difficult.
“The situation is absolute chaos,” Rachid Sbihi, head of the association representing Spain’s Civil Guard officers in Ceuta, told The Associated Press.
“It’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing,” Sbihi said, adding that the border had “totally collapsed.”
Achraf Maimouni, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in northern Morocco, also characterized the events as “exceptional.”
According to Maimouni, “The Tarajal border was opened under unusual circumstances this morning and people crossed.”
Video footage showed large groups of people, most of them Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach before making their way onto local roads. While many of those crossing appeared to be young men, families with women and small children were also among the crowds.
Some migrants shouted “Viva España!” toward a freelance photographer working for the Associated Press. It remained unclear what prompted so many people to cross into Ceuta.
The surge followed an increase in migrant arrivals that had already been building before Thursday’s dramatic escalation. On Wednesday, migrants had attempted to reach the Spanish territory primarily by swimming.
According to Sbihi and activists in both Morocco and Ceuta, at least three people died while attempting to reach the enclave by sea.
Moroccan authorities have not publicly commented on the crossings, and the country’s Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta is facing a humanitarian and security emergency after about 1,500 migrants swam across from Morocco in the past week.
Ceuta's leader, Juan Jesus Vivas, said reception centers are overwhelmed, with hundreds sleeping outdoors and facilities… pic.twitter.com/g0gySeOkAt
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 30, 2026
Spain’s Interior Ministry said Morocco was working closely with Spanish authorities to manage the crisis. Officials said Moroccan police were stopping numerous people attempting to cross the border, and both governments agreed to work together to return those who entered Ceuta illegally as quickly as possible.
Earlier, Spain’s Interior Ministry said it would safeguard citizens and protect the country’s border but maintained that migration concerns did not meet the legal requirements for declaring a national emergency, despite requests from Ceuta’s regional government.
Ceuta’s leaders had previously linked the rise in migrant arrivals to a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling stating that migrants arriving by sea cannot be immediately returned without due process, unlike those entering Spain by crossing the land border illegally.
However, some activists in Morocco questioned whether the court decision was responsible for the surge, arguing that many migrants were likely unaware of the legal ruling.
Juan Jesús Vivas, the head of Ceuta’s regional government, urged Madrid to declare an emergency on national security grounds and requested additional police officers as well as military deployment to secure the frontier and protect residents.
Vivas had warned a day earlier that migrant reception centers were already overwhelmed, with hundreds of people sleeping on the streets after more than 1,500 migrants entered Ceuta during the previous week. Thousands more crossed into the territory overnight and throughout Thursday, intensifying the crisis and prompting Spain to deploy its military to help restore order.
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