EU Sends Migration Experts to Ceuta Amid Fresh Influx Fears

The European Commission has sent migration experts to Ceuta to assess conditions on the ground amid warnings of another possible migrant influx.

The team arrived two weeks after around 80,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave, triggering a major humanitarian and political crisis. The Commission said the mission would assess local needs and determine how the EU can support Spanish authorities.

Brussels has not confirmed whether the team is specifically preparing for a new crossing reportedly expected on 15 August. Instead, officials said the priority remains protecting the EU’s external border throughout the year.

As many as 80,000 migrants reportedly entered Ceuta during the final two days of July, a movement that saw around 100 people reportedly lose their lives. The enclave has a population of about 83,000.

The Spanish government says around 70,000 of the migrants have since returned to Morocco and has praised cooperation with Rabat over the returns.

The crisis has also exposed political divisions within Europe. Italy, under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has criticised Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s more liberal migration approach. Rome and Madrid have introduced exceptional border controls against each other, while Italy has said it will keep its temporary suspension of the Schengen border-free arrangement with Spain until at least 15 August.

Morocco says it has strengthened security along its borders with Ceuta and Melilla. Spain’s Civil Guard has also installed a maritime barrier at Melilla’s southern breakwater.

Authorities are monitoring an online campaign allegedly encouraging another mass crossing. Digital intelligence company Golden Owl identified what it described as an organised operation, while Spain’s Civil Guard prepared a report assessing the threat.

Social media monitoring appears to have reduced the campaign’s reach. Golden Owl said the “15 August date has effectively disappeared from Facebook, driven by Meta enforcement”.

TikTok and Meta have activated crisis protocols and are working with fact-checkers following calls from EU officials for stronger monitoring.

The European Commission said cooperation with social platforms was “proving highly effective”, with further discussions scheduled to address the online dimension of the Ceuta migration crisis.

Do you think stronger EU coordination can prevent another large-scale migration crisis in Ceuta?