EU Parliament Condemns Ceuta Border Breach as Invasion, Pressures Spain on Returns

The European Parliament approved a resolution on Thursday defining the July 30 mass entry into Ceuta as an "invasion" and an instrument of hybrid warfare against a member state's territorial integrity. The measure passed with support from conservative and liberal groups while left-wing parties opposed it.

At least 80,000 people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave on July 30, the largest territorial breach in decades. Approximately 10,000 migrants remain in Ceuta 50 days later, including 2,048 identified unaccompanied minors and an estimated 1,000 more on the streets.

“We are not witnessing a conventional migration crisis, but rather the consequences of an invasion originating from Morocco”

The resolution demands the rapid and effective return of all irregular migrants to Morocco, including minors. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and 22 EU prime ministers have pressed Spain privately, insisting no migrant reaches the peninsula and warning that failure to return them grants automatic Schengen access.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska denied "secondary movements" to the mainland, calling such concerns unfounded. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of incompetence, stating the government has built a 10,000-capacity camp instead of securing returns.

European People's Party President Manfred Weber will visit Ceuta Monday alongside Feijóo to highlight the crisis. The PP argues the situation constitutes a national security threat, rejecting the solidarity mechanism used in previous minor transfers.