The response of Spain to the mass arrival of people in Ceuta faces new questions about the guarantees applied at the border. Amnesty International has requested detailed information from the Government regarding the returns to Morocco, access to the asylum procedure, the situation of unaccompanied minors, and reports of possible summary returns, after the entry of about 72,000 people since July 30.
The organization wants to investigate how individual guarantees have been applied during an operation of exceptional magnitude. Among the issues it wants to clarify is the difference between the returns that the Government considers voluntary and the reports on possible forced returns at the border.
The Executive, through the Government delegate in Ceuta, claims that nearly 70,000 of the 72,000 people who arrived have returned to Morocco voluntarily. Amnesty, however, states that it is concerned about reports of summary returns that, if confirmed, would conflict with Spain's international obligations.
The organization wants to investigate how individual guarantees have been applied during an operation of exceptional magnitude
It also requests explanations about the installation of containment elements at sea, which it links to the response to the Supreme Court ruling of June 29. According to Amnesty, it has received reports of people who, after overcoming those devices, would have been subject to rejections at the border.
The NGO reminds that the ruling establishes that the actions of the authorities must respect international human rights law and that situations must be analyzed individually, with special attention to vulnerable people and those with the possibility of formalizing requests for international protection.
Amnesty demands to know how the returns occurred
In this context, it has requested from the Government updated data on arrivals, deaths, nationalities, ages, and gender of the people who have entered Ceuta since July 30.
It also wants to know how many people have been returned to Morocco and, within that figure, what portion corresponds to voluntary returns and what portion to forced returns. Additionally, it adds questions about the procedural guarantees applied and about access to the asylum procedure.
Amnesty also asks for clarification on the existence of a supposed agreement between Spain and Morocco to return all people who have entered Ceuta, which has been reported by journalistic sources, and demands that this eventual agreement be made public.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee already urged Spain in 2025 to refrain from carrying out summary returns and expulsions at the border and to ensure that any return procedure respects international obligations, including the principle of non-refoulement.
More than 80 bodies recovered on the Spanish side
The magnitude of the arrival also has a humanitarian dimension. Amnesty points out that at least 83 bodies have been recovered on the Spanish side, although it warns that the number could be higher. To these deceased, it adds the 67 bodies that, according to the organization Caminando Fronteras, would have been recovered in Morocco. It links these deaths to the risks associated with migratory routes and demands that border policy does not lose sight of the consequences for the people trying to reach Spanish territory.
Amnesty also rejects the use of expressions like "invasion" to describe the arrival of migrants and refugees in Ceuta. In its view, this type of language contributes to reinforcing stereotypes and dehumanizing the people who arrive.
The situation of minors, another concern
Childhood occupies a central part of Amnesty's requests. According to data provided by the Government, 1,527 unaccompanied minors who arrived since July 30 have already been identified by the authorities.
While it acknowledges the measures taken to expand reception spaces, including centers set up in schools, it expresses concern over reports indicating that thousands of minors could be without accommodation and sleeping on the street.
Amnesty demands rapid procedures to identify these children and adolescents, incorporate them into the guardianship system, and guarantee their access to international protection, legal assistance, and psychological support; as well as that any minor whose age is in doubt be protected as such until their age can be properly determined.
The organization has also asked the autonomous communities to accept the urgent reception of minors currently in Ceuta and demands a lasting solution that takes into account the best interests of each child.
Two different figures about the people who remain in Ceuta
The situation on the ground also does not appear to be completely delineated in the official data. The Government Delegation currently estimates that about 2,500 people remain in Ceuta, while the president of the autonomous city raises that estimate to between 8,000 and 9,000.
Among those who have arrived are citizens from Morocco, Sudan, Yemen, Eritrea, Mali, Bangladesh, Palestine, Chad, Gambia, Central African Republic, Benin, Senegal, and Guinea-Conakry. Amnesty notes that some of these countries are experiencing armed conflicts or situations of human rights violations and considers it possible that some of these people may need international protection.
The Government has announced the creation of a Temporary Attention Center for Foreigners (CATE) in Ceuta and measures to expand the capacity of the reception system. Amnesty considers these actions positive, although it demands that the response guarantees adequate conditions and a dignified reception.
The six requests from Amnesty to the Government
The organization demands that the Spanish authorities avoid collective or summary expulsions and guarantee the individual analysis of each case. It also asks that voluntary returns respond to free and informed consent, especially when it comes to minors.
Amnesty demands to avoid collective or summary expulsions and guarantee the individual analysis of each case
Among its demands is also to facilitate access to international protection and legal assistance, to transfer asylum seekers who are already within the procedure to the peninsula, and to prioritize the most vulnerable people.
Amnesty also demands the immediate identification and protection of unaccompanied minors and an adequate humanitarian, health, and psychosocial response for all people under Spanish jurisdiction, regardless of how they arrived in Ceuta.
The organization asserts that its goal is to open a dialogue with the Spanish authorities to understand in detail how a arrival that has tested the response capacity of the institutions has been managed. Its request now focuses not only on how many people have arrived or how many have returned to Morocco, but on how those returns have occurred and what guarantees have accompanied each case.