On Saturday, August 2nd, 2026, Moroccan migrants who had crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta began returning to Morocco in small groups. Many had spent two to three days wandering the streets of Ceuta with little food and minimal welcome. Spanish soldiers and Civil Guard officers directed mostly young men toward the border exit, some barefoot and others wrapped in Red Cross blankets, visibly exhausted after their ordeal.

Among them was 23-year-old Abdel Latif, who said, "I thought I'd be welcomed, but that wasn't the case at all." He explained his attempt to find work in Ceuta was driven by the lack of jobs in Morocco. Latif was part of an estimated 60,000 migrants who crossed into Ceuta over two or three days, mostly swimming around the small border post into the Mediterranean Sea. This surge triggered an international crisis for Spain, prompting the deployment of armed forces to the territory.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska reported that at least 67 migrants died attempting to swim to Ceuta, calling these "sad, dramatic events." Despite the crisis, some local residents like 58-year-old But Dris expressed that "honestly, things are fine today... the police have arrived, and we can go out and shop."

The situation underscores the desperation driving migration from Morocco, with many migrants citing a lack of future prospects and food shortages as reasons for their attempts to reach Spanish territory.

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