The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that "the vast majority" of the migrant people who crossed into Ceuta on July 30 "have already been returned to Morocco" and emphasizes that the recent ruling of the Supreme Court is limited to specifying the procedure for those who access by sea, but "nothing more": "It does not modify the Immigration Law. It does not declare the rejection at the border illegal. It does not open any entry route. It does not prevent return."
In a note released this Monday, the department headed by José Manuel Albares emphasizes that entering "irregularly" into Spain through Ceuta or Melilla "does not grant the right" to "remain" or "travel" through the national territory, nor to "circulate" through the rest of Europe, and warns that it does imply "a serious risk to life," stressing that "no ruling" has altered this situation.
The Ministry also highlights that the "maritime containment" barrier of 500 meters installed at the Tarajal pier is "compatible with the ruling and with the returns," so it will continue to operate within the current border control device.
Furthermore, the "single control regime" in force in Ceuta and Melilla is detailed, based on a "double filter": first, the controls at the border with Morocco and, then, a Schengen control "upon leaving the Peninsula, by sea and by air." As Foreign Affairs emphasizes, "no one boards without identifying themselves to the National Police."
Finally, the statement specifies that the regularization process approved this year by the Government "has no relation" to the current migration crisis, as it "only applies to those who were already living in Spain before January 1, 2026." Thus, the people who crossed the border last week are excluded from this procedure: "The only route is the legal."