Intelligence alerted the authorities to plans for a mass crossing a day before tens of thousands entered the exclave, according to newly declassified files
Spanish intelligence warned of plans for migrants to breach Ceuta’s border by land and sea just a day before tens of thousands of people poured into the enclave from Morocco, newly declassified documents show.
The revelations have fueled accusations that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government failed to give the full story about what it knew before the crisis.
The small Spanish territory on the North African coast has faced severe pressure since more than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco in late July. Most have since returned or been sent back, but thousands remain, straining local services and fueling criticism of Madrid’s handling of the crisis.
Ceuta Mayor-President Juan Jesus Vivas warned that the enclave is “on the brink of collapse” and accused Morocco of pursuing a “policy of harassment.” Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, he urged the EU to take a tougher stance toward Rabat and accused Sanchez’s government of failing to respond adequately before, during, and after the crisis.
The Spanish government released 40 declassified documents on Wednesday, including intelligence reports, alerts, and communications from security agencies. In a July 29 note to Moroccan intelligence, Spain’s National Intelligence Center (CNI) said it had identified Facebook and WhatsApp groups promoting an attempt by migrants to enter Ceuta the following day “both swimming and via the [border] fence,” potentially taking advantage of Morocco’s Throne Day celebrations.
The CNI also alerted Madrid’s representative in Ceuta to calls for “an assault on the fence and by sea” at 8 PM the following day and sent similar warnings to Spain’s Civil Guard. “There are two different groups with a total of 180,000 followers. Just to give you an idea of the scale,” the agency wrote about the online mobilization.
Once thousands began crossing, a Spanish Defense Ministry intelligence report described Moroccan forces as passive and negligent in stopping them. “It cannot be ruled out that Morocco may attempt to exploit the situation that has arisen in Ceuta to further its strategic interests,” the assessment said.
Sanchez has maintained that Madrid had no warning capable of predicting what happened. He told lawmakers last week that intelligence had not anticipated the “scale or probability” of the influx, while insisting that Moroccan police had “allowed the border to be crossed.” He had previously told parliament there was “no information” indicating the magnitude of the crisis Spain would face in the final days of July.
The crisis has triggered a political backlash in Spain and put Ceuta’s services under severe strain. Protests have demanded faster deportations and targeted Sanchez’s government, with demonstrators reportedly chanting “Sanchez, traitor, resign.”
Vivas has warned that the situation is “untenable,” telling Brussels this week: “If Ceuta falls, Europe falls.”
