I.- The maremágnun of news, official and unofficial statements from Spanish, Moroccan, and even European community institutions (PE 17/09/2026) makes the arrival of more than 70,000 people in Ceuta on July 31 a happening that has that city and the rest of Spain in a state of high tension, of course fueled by an easy antigovernmental strategy consisting of building an external enemy (here Morocco) in order to attack the internal political rival (here “Perrosanchez”) accusing him -just like that- of being a traitor.
Leaving for another moment any reflection on the task of overcoming the gap between the economically prosperous and demographically declining world, against the needy overcrowded, and going to our reality in the first third of the 21st century, what we can and must do today is face the how and why of that arrival, the majority return and the fate of the nearly 5,000 migrants still in the Spanish (let’s stop with rhetoric such as the superlatives “lísima”!), we reject that a serious newspaper like El País (19/09/26) publishes articles -that of Tahar Bene Jelloun- where it is asserted that “returning Ceuta and Melilla to Morocco would be a historic and realistic gesture” (because) “it is not normal for the European border to be in African territory.” (Response: the extra-continental enclaves are a better lever for mutual international understanding).
It is better -against dialectically belligerent positions- to reside (or, if you will, resign) in the simple and fruitful reality, occurred and to occur.
I.- A) The first reality is that the arrival (neither assault nor invasion, that is attributable to those of violent behavior) massive to Ceuta on 30/07/26 was indigenous although led by organizations of a private nature and profit-seeking, the so-called “mafias” that, charging a fee, modulated and directed the famous arrival.
And this undoubtedly responded to the dissemination of a judicial fact, no other than a ruling from the Spanish Supreme Court, which offered to the desires that a multitude of Moroccan youths and -more numerically- those from countries south of the Maghreb tend to improve their standard of living; which -of course charging- are organized by such “mafias.” (Phenomenon not only affecting Spain, let’s remember Lampedusa from years ago).
I.- B) Let's see why: the already famous Judgment 814/2026 (June 29) of Section 5 of the Administrative Litigation Chamber, Rapporteur Mr. Fernando Román -offering text due to its excessive length, lack of systematics, and convoluted writing for a more than intense dizziness of the patient reader-, surely inadvertently, provided a favorable opportunity for social networks and "mafias" lurking, to immediately organize a new massive displacement towards Ceuta, later Melilla.
It is well known the long and tortuous judicial itinerary to this high-level Resolution: initiated by the lawsuit of a young Algerian who -like so many- has launched himself swimming from the Moroccan coast towards the Spanish one, and intercepted by Order Forces of our country at the hypothetical maritime border, claimed not to be rejected at (we repeat, hypothetical) maritime border and therefore to be allowed to arrive at the Spanish destination that he intended with his physical effort.
And the vicissitudes until such a judicial pronouncement are well known: Appeals, Administrative Litigation Court of Andalusia, State Advocacy, unnecessary insertion of a couple of other Supreme Court Judgments among the Legal Foundations, etc., until reaching the conclusion that the rejection at the border -at sea, it is understood- does not apply to those who, like the Algerian boy, are simple swimmers, who have the right to reach the Ceuta coast and there be subject to a return procedure -“triage” it is now called, used in medical origin terms- that with all legal guarantees will attend to their asylum request.
I.- C) But -from a mere and unnecessarily desiderative, inappropriate stance-, the Judgment added that such rejection (contemplated by Additional Provision 10 of the Organic Law on Foreigners in Spain, LOEX) would apply to those who "attempted to overcome the established containment elements, such as the fences."
And as such "fences" (the effective, floating or not but firmly adhered to the seabed-terrestrial) did not exist on the date of the Judgment, such an inappropriate prophecy interpreted by networks and "mafias" as a forecast -even more- as an invitation to an imminent installation of such repeated fences, urges to anticipate such a probable measure from the Spanish authorities.
Such an inappropriate prophecy interpreted by networks and "mafias" as a forecast -even more- as an invitation to an imminent installation of such repeated fences
Therefore, quick!, let’s take advantage of the interregnum until “the containment elements”, commonly known as “fences”, are installed, and “to you swimming clients are rejected out to sea and towards where they can”, if they do not drown after so many swimming vicissitudes.
And the said organizations -if we are benevolent-, “NGOs” (after advance payment) mobilize clients and in a hurry -before the foreseeable installation of the fences- for which, taking advantage of the occasion of the Moroccan Throne holiday (31/07), they carry out the launch (let’s say, embrace) of a -for the catastrophists- invasion, -for the realists- massive illegal but always peaceful movement towards the neighboring country “of possibilities” (and of giving me a job).
Passivity or promotion by the Moroccan authorities regarding such massive displacement?
It is not easy to diagnose, but given the simultaneous celebration of Throne Day, police dedication to citizen order, and the absence of any data on armed interventions favoring the massive jump, let’s apply the “in dubio” and recognize the unofficial, absolutely private and lucrative nature of the event of last July 31.
II.- Rejected the massive arrival by the Spanish Government, 90% of the approximately 60 or 70 thousand “invaders” returned to their origin and remaining in Ceuta approximately 5,000 people, mostly young, a curious and -fundamental- fact is given that is little commented on in the lively debate about it (the main opposition party to the Spanish Government has not mentioned it in any of its multiple statements on the subject).
The fact, transcendental, consists of the unconditional acceptance that the Moroccan Government has carried out for the re-entry -already made- into its country of all those whom the Spanish Government rejected, except for the children and except for those who escaped from such “re-expulsion” operation.
A re-entry to Morocco of more than 50,000 people that shows the collaborative disposition of that country and that has completely changed the situation for -of course- the better.
Given the serious daily problems caused by 4 or 5 thousand remaining “invaders” in Ceuta, can we imagine the situation in that city, also Melilla and even southern Spanish coasts if Morocco had prevented the re-entry of those 40, 50 thousand who arrived earlier in our country?
But here is a generalized and calculated “hush”: if we followed Spanish conservative political spokespersons and media, little or nothing of that massive re-entry would have come to our knowledge. Skillful silence: domestic politics feeds on external problems, the “the worse, the better” provides maximum dialectical quality and populist advantage in times like the dramatic Ceuta situation.
A re-entry to Morocco of more than 50,000 people that shows the collaborative disposition of that country and that has completely changed the situation for -of course- the better
III.- As expected, the Moroccan Government has expressed its protest, at least a complaint, against such an attack on its country by significant political parties and Spanish media, constant accusers of Moroccan official invasion in order to qualify the current Spanish Government as traitorous, necessarily dialoguing with its African neighbor.
In a harsh tone, Rabat accuses “historical Spanish parties” of having fallen into “the quagmire in which irrational and populist escalation prevails over common sense” and criticizes “an accusatory rhetoric (by Spanish parties) that feeds a strategy of fear that harms everyone.”
In summary, it rejects being a “scapegoat” of Spanish electoral contests.
The reaction of the mentioned -Popular Party- has been lukewarm: “Morocco is responsible for what happened by action or omission,” but expresses its vote for “a real and stable relationship (…) convinced that both countries are called to maintain it for the benefit of their citizens.” (That is, for the supposed future PP Government).
And that’s where we are.
The author of these lines has waited to speak on the “Ceuta” issue until the celebration of the elections in Morocco (09/23) in warning of the possible exploitation of the dedication of its Armed Forces to internal peace at the expense of vigilance against another migratory attempt towards Ceuta and Melilla.
It has not been, fortunately, like that, and to this have contributed the works carried out by Spain regarding the repair of the maritime fence and -even better- its improvement by establishing the adjustment to the seabed, which allows that -according to the then avoidable express acknowledgment by the Supreme Court in 814/2026- the rejection at the border of swimmers occurs, that yes, humanely reembarked via Morocco: the return procedure -“triage”- that those who accessed ope legis obtain in Spanish territory is already nonexistent for them.
And such reentries are daily accepted by Morocco.
For those, already legitimately or by trick, remaining in Ceuta, the situation is complicated but resolvable according to our legislation and the administrative police reinforcement and -for the effectiveness of all asylum- regional redistribution imposed by Law.
And returning to the origin of the arrival, neither the author of these lines nor their probably few readers should be unaware of the background/fund of the issue: the persistent threat that economic and cultural imbalances persist as a stimulus to dangerous if not suicidal attempts at massive and irresponsible migration, being thus when the search for balance can be peaceful and constructive through global solidarity policies.
To which they will seek the meeting -economic distribution, population balance- that would entail overcoming that hermetic mentality of “inside” and “outside” that Professor Daniel Innenarity has emphatically denounced.