Some 13,000 people, among adults and minors, remain in Ceuta, after more than 70,000 people have entered illegally on 30 and 31 July, the government of the autonomous Spanish city said today.
© Marcos Moreno/Europe Press via Getty Images
11/09/2026
by
Lusa
O number was released by the president of the autonomous government, Juan Jesús Vivas, and results from a count made by the authorities of the occupation of different accommodation spaces and estimates made in camping sites such as beaches and mountains.
According to Vivas, there are among these 13,000 people, about 2,000 underage unaccompanied by adults, who are referenced and housed.
“ In what city of Spain does the number of migrants represent 15 percent of the total population?”, asked Juan Jesús Vivas, considering “a barbarity” to ask for “hosting efforts to Ceuta”, a city where about 83,000 people live and which has a territory of less than 30 square kilometers.
The president of the city asked again for the “immediate return” of all people who entered Ceuta illegally at the end of July.
Until now, the local executive estimated 8,000 to 9,000 migrants who remained in Ceuta.
According to the Spanish Government, they entered Ceuta at the end of July in a few hours, at least 72,000 people, while local authorities have estimated that there were 80,000.
Most left Ceuta in the following hours and days, with the Spanish Government estimating that at least 5,000 remain in the city.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Victor Torres, who coordinates the Spanish Government's response to the crisis in Ceuta, said it was impossible at this time to know exactly how many people remain in the city after mass entry on July 30.
The minister said that people who voluntarily return to Morocco and those who are on the streets are still being told as they get places for temporary reception.
According to the Government, it is only possible to register all persons and initiate individual proceedings with a view to repatriation or asylum where applicable.
So far 3,400 temporary reception places have been created and the government hopes to reach 6,000 in the coming days.
Among the people already referred to there are about 2,000 minors who are in Ceuta without an adult, Ángel Victor Torres said.
After more than 90% of at least 72,000 who entered Ceuta on 30 and 31 July returned to Morocco on time and in the immediate days, another 4,500 left the Spanish city voluntarily since 10 August, he added.
On the other hand, more than 200 were expelled because of crimes.