Thousands of Moroccan migrants remain stranded in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta following a mass border crossing, as Spain pushes to clear a massive asylum backlog ahead of a snap November election, drawing fierce criticism from human rights charities over expedited returns and worsening humanitarian conditions.
Nearly three months after a chaotic mass border crossing on July 30 brought thousands of people into the port city, the humanitarian situation on the ground remains severe. Hundreds of teenage migrants and families continue to sleep in makeshift tent camps on El Trampolín Beach, in warehouses, or hidden across the narrow streets of Ceuta. Doctors in the city’s sole hospital are treating patients for scabies, tuberculosis, and gastrointestinal infections linked to long periods outdoors, according to Enrique Robiralta, head of the doctors’ union. At least seven women have given birth in the enclave since the crisis began.
Fatna’s Family Struggle and the Medical Crisis in Ceuta
The human toll of the backlog is sharply evident in cases like that of Fatna, a 21-year-old woman who arrived in Ceuta heavily pregnant and with a disabled son. With her newborn baby girl now suffering from kidney problems, the family urgently needs a transfer to mainland Spain for specialist hospital treatment. However, traveling requires a permit that the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been reluctant to grant while asylum claims remain under review.
Ceuta, Spain: The Department of State updated the Travel Advisory for Spain to raise Ceuta to Level 3 – Reconsider Travel due to unrest. The massive and uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta may lead to unpredictable and dangerous security situations. Spain has… pic.twitter.com/dlAs5lz2eu
Local aid organizations have stepped in where official infrastructure falls short. An association known as Asociacion Elin has taken in Fatna’s family alongside other vulnerable individuals, stretching its normal capacity of seven people far beyond its limits. When the word ‘immigrant’ is used, it creates a collective image, as if they were all the same. Every person has their own story,
volunteers emphasize, pointing to the distinct protection needs of unaccompanied minors, LGBT Moroccans fleeing imprisonment, and medical cases.
Oxfam and Amnesty International File Ombudsman Complaint Over Alleged Forced Returns
With a growing backlog of migrants in Ceuta, the Sanchez administration faces intense pressure from domestic opposition parties and international organizations to resolve the crisis. Authorities are working on expedited shortcuts for asylum applications with the intention of returning most arrivals to Morocco on the grounds that they are economic migrants rather than legitimate asylum-seekers. That strategy has alarmed humanitarian advocates who warn against sweeping rejections.
Last week, eight charities including Oxfam and Amnesty International filed a formal complaint with Spain’s ombudsman alleging serious rights violations in Ceuta. The filing cites the forced return of migrants from conflict-affected countries such as Sudan and Chad, alongside inadequate access to legal assistance and interpreters. Asociacion Elin documented instances where migrants were summoned by police and deported without warning. In text messages reviewed by reporters, Moroccan migrant Azhaar Chaouni stated that volunteers and police picked migrants up from beach camps in buses under the guise of taking them to reception centers before they were deported without explanation.
They deported us without explanation.
Azhaar Chaouni, via text message to NGO volunteers
Prime Minister Sánchez defended his administration’s record this week, insisting that Spain was managing the influx responsibly, with a sense of solidarity and respecting migrants’ human rights
. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska similarly rejected allegations of covert deportations, maintaining that approximately 12,000 people had chosen to return voluntarily since mid-August.
Legal Experts Question EU Safe Country Designations
Although Morocco is designated as a safe country of origin
under European Union rules, legal experts point out that this status does not strip citizens of their fundamental right to seek asylum. Experts emphasized that each individual must be guaranteed a specific assessment of their personal circumstances.
Meanwhile, processing speeds remain severely constrained; a police union representative reported that staff shortages and malfunctioning computers meant only around 100 migrant cases were being registered daily.
Looking at the remaining workload, this will last well into next summer.
Raul Piera, police union representative
Uncertain Totals and the Political Stakes Ahead of November 29
Disagreements persist over basic figures regarding the population remaining in the enclave. While national authorities adjusted their estimates to roughly 10,000 migrants in September, Ceuta Mayor Juan Vivas maintains that up to 15,000 people remain, noting that the count shifts daily. Right-wing and far-right parties continue to condemn the government—having already strongly opposed an earlier program that regularized nearly one million irregular migrants—and demand the immediate return of all recent crossers.
For the thousands still living outdoors or relying on charity, choices remain narrow as legal challenges mount against fast-tracked deportations. We are doing everything for our son,
said Mohamed, Fatna’s husband, expressing a determination to remain in Spain despite the mounting hurdles.