In response to the severe border crisis last week, when thousands of illegal immigrants flooded the Spanish territory of Ceuta, a senior Moroccan official publicly stated on Monday that Spain should have anticipated the potential chain reactions caused by a court decision in its country, rather than attributing all the blame to Morocco.
According to a report by Reuters on August 4th, the official referred to a judicial ruling issued by Spain on July 8th. In early July, the Spanish Supreme Court ruled that illegal immigrants who enter the enclaves by land should be deported immediately upon arrival, but those who arrive by sea must go through the full legal process before being expelled. However, this legal interpretation was later misinterpreted as a highly provocative slogan: “As long as you swim to Xewat, you can stay.” In Morocco’s view, this action significantly weakened the key deterrent mechanism that both parties had jointly established to effectively control illegal immigration.
Regarding the specific scale of this large-scale cross-border incident, there are still significant differences between the statistical data from both sides.
On August 3rd, local time, Spanish police stated that approximately 73,500 immigrants have returned to Morocco from the autonomous city of Ceuta in North Africa. Currently, social order in Ceuta is gradually being restored, and local shops have resumed operations. Morocco also reported that the number of immigrants entering the enclave is about 40,000.
Spanish police also stated that 88 illegal immigrants who tried to swim into Ceuta have died during this immigration crisis; 11 people were killed on the Moroccan side.
After the incident, Juan Jesus Vivas, president of the Hoya Autonomous Region, harshly criticized Rabat for 'encouraging and allowing' this influx of immigrants. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, also issued a warning, stating that attempts to use irregular migrants as political tools to pressure EU member states should not be tolerated.
In the face of accusations from all sides, this unnamed Moroccan senior official made a tough rebuttal during his first media briefing after the crisis erupted. He emphasized that Morocco did not relax border controls or reduce any security deployments before the large-scale cross-border incidents occurred last Thursday.
The official elaborated on Morocco's immigration control strategies: the policy is based on preventive measures, including the deployment of approximately 24,000 security personnel along the northern coastline. At the same time, the strategy aims to deter immigrants who illegally enter Spanish territory. He pointed out that Spain’s decision in July was quickly exploited by human trafficking networks.
“Information instantly turned into: ‘As long as you cross borders, you will be protected’,” the official spoke sharply criticizing, “Europe on one hand demands we prevent immigration across borders but on the other hand, they’re laying a red carpet for immigrants who successfully cross borders!”
According to official data, Morocco has made significant efforts in border control. In 2024, it successfully prevented 79,000 attempts at crossing the border, and last year that number was as high as 74,000. The official described Morocco’s previous border cooperation with Spain as a “model,” and emphasized that it was Spanish unilateral judicial decisions that disrupted this long-established consistency between the two countries.
"Spain has a responsibility to find a solution for restoring deterrence," the official stated clearly. "Morocco will never be a partner in purely security-based immigration control." This statement, in essence, essentially transfers the political ball on fixing border order, back onto the Madrid side.
