Spain Declassifies Warning to Morocco About Migrant Crossing Plans

3:14 PM ETDeveloping

World Desk

In Short: Spain will install a 1,600-foot containment fence on the aquatic border between Ceuta and Morocco after tens of thousands of migrants breached the enclave, resulting in at least 67 deaths.

Updated on: August 1, 2026 / 10:52 AM EDT / CBS News. Spain announced it will install a 1,600-foot containment fence on the aquatic border between the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and neighboring Morocco, following a migrant crisis that saw tens of thousands of people cross into the enclave earlier this week.

At least 67 people died during the border rush, according to Spain's Minister of the Interior, with many dying in a stampede and others drowning.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that most of the migrants who arrived in Ceuta have already been sent back to Morocco, with thousands sleeping in parks and on sidewalks.

Morocco's government is cooperating with Spain, and local officials blame the sharp increase in crossings on a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling that makes it harder to turn away migrants arriving from Morocco by sea.

What's still developing

Videos and images from Ceuta showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco onto local roads.
He said thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, slept in parks and on sidewalks.
Some Moroccan migrants told CBS News they saw social media posts stating, "Spain is an open door," along with videos of people swimming from Morocco to Ceuta.
Another said he wanted to see what Europe was like for the day, but understood why he now had to return to Morocco.
She said she wanted to go to Europe because she works "under appalling conditions" in Morocco.
"At that point, I told the people with me, 'Let's go there for work... let's try our luck too.'" Ceuta is often seen as a destination for those trying to reach Spain from Africa, but crossing the border from Morocco into Ceuta does not immediately grant migrants free movement across Europe.

Sources

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