Madrid, 7 September 2026. Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska still sees no evidence that the latest migration crisis in Ceuta was deliberately orchestrated. “No report” identifies a specific perpetrator, he said in Madrid on Monday. He also reiterated his confidence in Morocco and stressed the two countries’ cooperation on security and migration.
The statement refers to the mass arrival of people in Ceuta at the end of July, which official figures and media reports put at more than 72,000 recorded border crossings. According to Marlaska, the Spanish authorities have “no logical, reasonable and objectively supported element” pointing to intervention by Morocco or another state. He referred to analyses by the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia, the Policía Nacional and the Guardia Civil as well as documents before the National Court. These assessments represent the current position of the Spanish services; they could change as further investigation results emerge.
Marlaska spoke on the sidelines of the presentation of the provisional summer road-safety figures at the Dirección General de Tráfico in Madrid. There, he stressed that cooperation with Morocco is based on trust and is producing operational results in border security. At the same time, he avoided assigning blame and described the situation at the EU’s external border in North Africa as still complex. He gave no specific figures for how many of the people who arrived at the end of July remain in Ceuta or how many have been returned. Figures on this varied by source in recent weeks and were in some cases later revised.
What is confirmed as fact is the exceptional scale of the border crossings at the end of July and the subsequent operations by Spanish and Moroccan security forces. Whether this was a coordinated action remains officially unresolved. Marlaska’s assessment today is a political judgement based on the reports available; it is not a judicial finding. Further police and judicial investigations are ongoing.
For weeks, government sources have reiterated the line that Spain is working closely with Morocco on migration management. Observers point out that the question of possible political motives is sensitive and could strain bilateral relations. The minister nevertheless made clear that Spain continually adjusts its border and migration policy and bases its decisions on verifiable information.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).