Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez on 2 September 2026 delivered a self-critical message to the residents of the North African enclave of Ceuta In a video message recorded by the Moncloa and circulated on social media, he said he acknowledged that many residents felt the state’s response had been inadequate until normality returned. The president announced that the state would continue to mobilise all available resources so that the city could return to normal as soon as possible. The address coincided with the autonomous city of Ceuta’s public holiday and came a few hours before solidarity rallies announced across the country.
Sánchez highlighted three short-term priorities: getting people off the streets as quickly as possible, ensuring dignified care for newly arrived people, and restoring safety and calm to the city. He was referring to the migration and public-order crisis, which peaked on 30 July 2026 with a mass border crossing from Morocco and has since put pressure on the administration, police and civil society.
At the same time, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska asked the Director of the Policía Nacional for a written clarification about the existence and contents of an alleged police document. According to media reports, it is said to have attributed a role to Moroccan forces in the mass border crossing into Ceuta on 30 July. The Interior Ministry confirmed that Grande-Marlaska had asked the head of the authority for an immediate clarification. According to the government, it remains to be established whether such a document was officially prepared, submitted or assessed. Government sources also expressed displeasure that potentially relevant situation reports may not have been passed on in good time. The police made no public comment initially.
The government stresses that its measures are aimed at rapidly stabilising the situation in Ceuta, arranging orderly accommodation for people seeking protection and coordinating closely with local authorities. According to the official account, future steps will depend on the results of internal reviews and ongoing assessments of the security situation at the border. The president made no comment on the role of foreign actors; the claim in question remains subject, for now, to the clarification requested by Grande-Marlaska.
Opposition parties have been calling for transparency for days about warnings and decision-making before and after 30 July. The government points to the extraordinary pace of events and the continued concentration of resources. Sánchez assured residents of Ceuta that he would keep them regularly informed about decisions intended to restore normality.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).