Ceuta President Testifies He Warned Madrid 10 Times Before Migrant Surge

Ceuta's president, Juan Jesús Vivas, testified for two and a half hours before National Court judge María Tardón on Wednesday. He detailed his attempts to alert the central government between July 25 and 30, ahead of the mass entry of migrants from Morocco on July 30-31.

Vivas stated he made 10 calls to the Prime Minister's office, reaching Chief of Staff Diego Rubio each time, but only spoke with Pedro Sánchez on July 30 after the surge began. He said he also spoke with four ministers — Ángel Víctor Torres, José Manuel Albares, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and Margarita Robles — between July 27 and 30.

“The situation was extreme and Ceutan society needed to see it was not abandoned by the State.”

According to Vivas, all four ministers classified the events as a "migration crisis" rather than a national security issue. He told the judge he received no prior warnings from state agencies; his first alarm came when unaccompanied minors in Ceuta jumped from 160 to 800, an 8,000% increase, and 1,500 people had entered in preceding days.

Vivas said he requested additional security forces, a national emergency declaration, and a unified command structure. The investigation was triggered by a complaint from Iustitia Europa, later joined by Vox. Sánchez visited Ceuta on July 31.