The president of the Autonomous City Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, testified as a witness before the Audiencia Nacional on 30 September 2026. He said that in the days before the mass border crossings on 30 and 31 July 2026 he had repeatedly sounded the alarm with the central government and called for specific measures, but none had been taken. According to judicial sources, Vivas described a series of attempts to make contact between 27 and 29 July; of as many as ten calls and messages, only a few were answered. He said he had called for the state of emergency to be considered, a unified command to be established, the border to be closed and security forces reinforced.
Vivas said he had mainly spoken to the chief of staff at the MoncloaPalace, Diego Rubio, and that he did not make direct contact with the President of the Government until 30 July. According to Vivas, Moncloa initially regarded the situation as “another migration crisis”. His testimony adds to the investigation by judge María Tardón, who is seeking to clarify the events and information channels in the run-up to the crossings. Vivas said he had given the judge documents and messages circulated by his city government.
The investigation began with reports of warnings circulating in advance, including information from the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia, which indicated that mobilisations were taking shape on the Moroccan side for the end of July. The case is being heard at the Audiencia Nacional; at the same time, officials from the Delegación del Gobierno in Ceuta are under judicial scrutiny. A former chief of staff at the delegation had resigned, alleging that warnings had not been passed on.
The criminal investigation is examining possible dereliction of duty and potential outside interference. The judiciary is investigating whether foreign actors may have organised or facilitated the crossings. The court has not named any specific suspects so far.
What is clear is that the events of 30 and 31 July 2026 triggered a political and institutional crisis in Ceuta and Madrid. The city president’s testimony is significant in reconstructing the decision-making process before the border crossings, but it is a one-sided account and needs to be checked against further witnesses and documents. No political or legal consequences have yet been decided. The Audiencia Nacional will continue hearing witnesses in the coming days.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).