Pedro Sánchez reiterates that 'all State resources' will be deployed to guarantee security in Ceuta and condemns the 'violation and attack on the territorial integrity' of Spain

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Pedro Sánchez reiterates that "all State resources" will be deployed to guarantee security in Ceuta and condemns the "violation and attack on the territorial integrity" of Spain

President's News - 2026.7.31

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during the institutional declaration he made at the end of his visit to Ceuta (Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has reiterated the Government's commitment to the Autonomous City of Ceuta and his strongest condemnation of "the violation and attack on the territorial integrity of a Spanish city such as Ceuta". Sánchez began his press conference with a message to the people of Ceuta: "The whole of Spain stands with them and, consequently, the Government of Spain stands with the city of Ceuta; we fully recognise the emotional toll of the distressing situation they have been experiencing over the last few hours, particularly since yesterday." The head of the Executive announced that the Government will use "every mechanism and all State resources to guarantee the safety of Ceuta's citizens and, of course, social harmony within the Autonomous City of Ceuta", aiming to restore normality "as soon as possible".

The president travelled to the Autonomous City accompanied by the Minister for Home Affairs, Fernando Grande-Marlaska - who will remain in Ceuta for a few days to monitor the situation. The president visited the Tarajal border and went to the Assembly Palace to attend a coordination meeting with the President of the Autonomous City, Jesús Vivas; the Government Delegate, Miguel Ángel Pérez; senior officials from the National Police and the Civil Guard; and the directors of the CETI and the Ceuta branch of the Red Cross.

For Sánchez, the events of yesterday constituted "an attack, a violation of Spain's territorial integrity. Ceuta is a Spanish city, and what happened yesterday deserves our full condemnation", not forgetting, albeit on a smaller scale, what also happened in Melilla. The president, who expressed his gratitude for the ongoing bilateral cooperation with the Government of the Autonomous City, highlighted the commitment that the Executive has demonstrated towards Ceuta, which he described as "resounding, total and unequivocal" to its present and future, emphasising that "no government has invested such a volume of economic resources in state investments as the current government has in the Autonomous City".

"We are committed to security and social harmony in Ceuta, just as we would be within the M-30 ring road in Madrid", he emphasised, because "from an institutional, political and development perspective, there is, of course, no distinction between periphery and centre. We are all one. And we have demonstrated that empathy and commitment on many occasions", he said, pointing out that he is the President of the Government of Spain who has visited this territory tmore times than any other.

The role of criminal networks

The head of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez, together with the president of Ceuta, Juan José Vivas, presides over the coordination meeting | Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

Regarding the reasons behind the events, Pedro Sánchez explained that, following discussions with Moroccan authorities, the conclusion is that "the underlying cause is the self-serving interpretation that human trafficking networks have placed on a Supreme Court ruling. That ruling upheld a previous decision by the High Court of Justice of Andalusia, which stated that the repatriation of individuals entering our territory by swimming across the sea does not fall under the category of border repatriations, as there is no physical border involved".

Sánchez expressed his sorrow at the loss of life caused by this crisis, and expressed his strongest condemnation of the human trafficking networks that "deceive many young people".

Yesterday's events "disrupt a consistent trend of reducing irregular flows", Sánchez noted, as recent years have seen a systematic decrease in irregular migration arrivals in Ceuta and other critical locations - such as Melilla, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. Specifically, these flows have dropped by approximately 36-37% so far this year, while a reduction of around 40% in irregular migration arrivals was recorded in 2025.

Measures in response to the crisis

In recent days, following the announcement of the Supreme Court's ruling, there has been a surge in the number of irregular migrants arriving in Ceuta and, in fact, in coordination with the Ceuta city government, the Ministry of Home Affairs had already set up a temporary reception centre for foreign nationals to speed up repatriations and deportations, the President noted.

Among the measures mentioned by the president to tackle this crisis are an average 10% increase in the numbers of National Police and Civil Guard officers, combined with the deployment of the Armed Forces; the deployment of buoys along the breakwater to "create a containment barrier, a physical barrier so that, from an administrative point of view, repatriation at the border can be facilitated" and, thirdly, "streamlining" the processing of cases and the repatriation of migrants who have entered the country irregularly, although "as you can see, many of these migrants are already being sent back". The Asylum Commission has convened an emergency meeting to proceed with the processing of their deportation cases.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, with representatives of the State Security Forces and Corps at the Tarajal border (Ceuta) | Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

Sánchez referred to "cooperation" with neighbouring Morocco, noting that it serves, "among other things, not only to fight - as we have been doing consistently in recent years - against the criminal networks that traffic in human beings". The president expressed his gratitude for Morocco's willingness to cooperate "so that this repatriation can be carried out as soon as possible".

In addition, consideration will be given to what measures can be taken to help small businesses and the self-employed in Ceuta who have been affected by the situation.

Migration policy

Sánchez emphasised the importance of migration policy, which is "central" to the Government of Spain's public policies. In this regard, he highlighted the efforts made and the resources allocated, as well as cooperation with transit and origin countries, "spearheading important debates such as the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, which was drawn up under the Spanish presidency of the EU in 2023".

Among the key elements of this policy, the president highlighted border protection, cooperation in the fight against human trafficking networks, the development of integration policies, European policy through the aforementioned Migration and Asylum Pact, and cooperation on development with countries of transit and origin.

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