Spain’s Migrant Crisis Follows Years of Israeli Warnings, US Pushback

Spain deployed troops and additional police to Ceuta after around 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the North African territory within 24 hours on July 30, creating an ongoing migrant and humanitarian crisis drawing worldwide attention.

Ceuta normally has about 85,000 residents, meaning the estimated 60,000 arrivals amounted to roughly 70% of the Spanish city’s existing population. At least 72 people have reportedly died from drowning, stampedes and other causes during the crossing. Spain’s Interior Ministry said approximately 37,500 migrants had returned to Morocco by July 31.

The disorder did not remain confined to the border. JUCIL, an association representing members of Spain’s Civil Guard, reported robberies at homes and warned that supermarkets could face break-ins if food became scarce. Residents circulated videos alleging that groups were entering private property, while many bars, stores and restaurants remained closed.

Spanish authorities had not released comprehensive crime figures confirming the number of burglaries or identifying every alleged offender.

Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas described the situation as a humanitarian and social emergency and asked Madrid to declare a national emergency. Spain’s Interior Ministry denied that request because the country’s civil protection law does not cover migration emergencies, although the government sent military reinforcements.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the crossing a violation of Spanish territorial integrity, while facing scrutiny from opposition party figures who have called for his removal.

Europe Reacts as Questions Mount

The crisis quickly spread beyond Ceuta.

Italy temporarily suspended Schengen free movement with Spain by air and sea and ordered those borders closed, saying the measure was necessary to protect national security. Italian authorities later said enforcement would include targeted checks on non-EU nationals arriving from Spain.

France reinforced its border with four mobile units and drones. Finland, Denmark and Czechia called for Spain’s broader suspension from Schengen, while Slovakia opposed removing Spain and offered border assistance. As of July 31, Italy was the only country to enact a suspension.

Authorities have blamed smuggling networks for exploiting a Supreme Court decision that prevents the immediate return of migrants intercepted at sea. Moroccan government sources blamed criminal organizations for the crossings and maintained that Rabat’s cooperation with Spain remained “exemplary.”

That account sits uneasily alongside a widely circulated video that appears to show a dump truck unloading dozens of people near the Ceuta border while a Moroccan gendarme watches without intervening. The footage does not establish who operated the truck or whether Moroccan authorities arranged the transportation.

Neither government has publicly provided a detailed account of how tens of thousands of people reached the border within hours or why security controls collapsed so quickly.

Spain Was Warned It Would Pay a Price

The emergency arrived three months after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued one of his government’s bluntest warnings toward Spain.

In April, Netanyahu accused Sánchez’s government of conducting a “diplomatic war” against Israel and said he would not permit any country to do so “without paying an immediate price.”

“Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu made the statement after Israel expelled Spanish personnel from the multinational center overseeing Gaza’s ceasefire. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Spain of an “anti-Israel obsession” and said the Sánchez government had lost its ability to participate in regional diplomacy.

Spain had previously denied the use of jointly operated bases and closed its airspace to U.S. aircraft involved in attacks connected to the Iran War.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also singled out Spain in March, questioning whether NATO had become a “one-way street” and said Washington would reassess alliances after the war. He asked what the United States gained from promising to defend countries that denied it access to military facilities during an operation Washington considered necessary, using Spain as an example.

President Donald Trump replaced implication with direct pressure.

On July 8, three weeks before the Ceuta emergency, Trump called Spain a “terrible partner,” described the country as a “wasted cause,” and turned toward Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with a direct instruction for him to prepare to end trade with Spain.

Trump made a similar threat in March after Madrid opposed the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran.

The White House quickly incorporated the Ceuta emergency into its dispute with Sánchez. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Spain should reverse policies enabling mass migration or “risk their own demise.”

Morocco Controls the Pressure Point

Ceuta hasserved as leverage before.In May 2021, Morocco relaxed border controls and allowed about 8,000 people to enter Ceuta within two days. Observers widely interpreted the action as retaliation after Spain admitted Western Sahara independence leader Brahim Ghali for medical treatment.Normal enforcement resumed after Spain endorsed Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara.

An April 30 House Appropriations Committee report described Ceuta and Melilla as Spanish-administered cities “located in Moroccan territory” and urged the secretary of state to promote talks over their future status.

The language appeared in the report accompanying H.R. 8595, not the legislation itself. And although the House passed the bill on July 15, neither the Senate nor the president has adopted it.

Spain also made two potentially sensitive moves shortly before the crossing.

Sánchez traveled to Algeria on July 20 to begin a “new phase” of energy, migration and security cooperation with Morocco’s principal regional rival. Three days later, a Spanish congressional committee advanced a bill offering citizenship to Sahrawis born under Spanish administration and their direct descendants.

Morocco maintains significant relationships with Israel and the United States.

It normalized relations with Israel through a U.S.-brokered agreement in 2020, signed a defense and intelligence cooperation agreement with Israel in 2021, and adopted a joint military work plan for 2026. Israel and the United States have both recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, Rabat’s central territorial objective.

Migration Has Appeared in the Dispute Before

The idea of directing displaced people toward Spain has surfaced repeatedly in Israeli political rhetoric over the years.

In February 2025, Israel Katz—who was serving as Israel’s foreign minister at the time and is currently the defense minister—ordered the military to prepare a plan allowing Palestinians to leave Gaza by land, sea or air. Katz specifically named Spain, Ireland and Norway as countries that should receive them because they had recognized a Palestinian state and criticized Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

Katz claimed those countries were “legally obligated” to admit Gazans and said their “hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse.”

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares rejected the demand, saying “no one should even be debating about where Palestinian Gazans should go, because that debate is closed. The land of Palestinian Gazans is Gaza. Gaza should be part of the future Palestinian state, just as Spain and the majority of the planet’s nations recognize.”

The rhetoric stretched back years. In May 2019, Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister’s son, posted a map highlighting Ceuta and Melilla.

Addressing Arabs and Muslims, he asked whether they wanted to liberate “occupied Arab and Islamic lands,” adding: “Here’s a good start!”

Yair Netanyahu later said he intended to demonstrate how Israel felt when Spain supported Palestinian claims to the West Bank.

Israeli officials used similar punitive language after Spain recognized Palestine in May 2024. Then-Foreign Minister Katz announced “preliminary punitive measures” against Spain’s consulate in Jerusalem and warned, “Those who harm us, we will harm in return.”

In September 2025, Sa’ar sanctioned two Spanish ministers and accused Sánchez’s government of pursuing a hostile and antisemitic campaign and argued that Madrid had forfeited a role in regional diplomacy.

The decision followed Spain’s refusal to permit the use of jointly-operated bases and its closure of Spanish airspace to U.S. aircraft supporting attacks during the Iran war.

Questions Left Unanswered

Ceuta has served as leverage before.

In May 2021, Morocco relaxed border controls and allowed about 8,000 people to enter Ceuta within two days. Observers widely interpreted the action as retaliation after Spain admitted Western Sahara independence leader Brahim Ghali for medical treatment.

Normal enforcement resumed after Spain endorsed Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara.

Morocco maintains significant relationships with Israel and the United States. It normalized relations with Israel through a U.S.-brokered agreement in 2020, signed a defense and intelligence cooperation agreement with Israel in 2021, and adopted a joint military work plan for 2026.

Israel and the United States have both recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, Rabat’s central territorial objective.

No available evidence shows that Israel, the United States or their officials organized the crossings, asked Morocco to relax its border, or contacted migrants. Morocco also denied involvement.

However, directing displaced people toward Spain has surfaced in Israeli political rhetoric for years, alongside increasingly explicit warnings that Madrid would face consequences for its policies. No evidence connects that rhetoric to the Ceuta emergency.