Ceuta's Leader Says He Had No Warning of Mass Border Crossing

The president of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, has admitted he had no prior intelligence that thousands of people were about to enter the city in a single wave this past July. Speaking at an event in Madrid on Monday, Vivas described the situation before the crossing as "alarming" but said, "We could not assume that a massive entry of 80,000 people was going to occur." He noted that local media had reported around 1,500 people entering in the previous week, and that the number of unaccompanied minors in care had risen from 180 to 800. He said this atmosphere indicated "something was happening." Vivas made his remarks surrounded by senior figures from the Popular Party (PP), including its leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and several regional presidents. Feijóo used the event to accuse the national government of failing to guarantee state security. He repeated his call for the deportation of all migrants currently in Ceuta, despite legal limits. "Defending Ceuta does not mean setting it on fire, but protecting it so this crisis does not destroy it," Feijóo said. Vivas described Ceuta as a city under immense strain, saying residents have "lost their peace and joy" and now "live in fear." He said around 10,000 people remain in the city from the crossings on July 30 and 31. He claimed social tension is rising and altercations are constant. "The reception capacity is overwhelmed," Vivas said. He described Ceuta as "a pressure cooker that could explode at any moment," adding that the city is in a "limit situation" with no time to spare. Vivas pointed to Morocco as the responsible party for the mass entry, stating, "I am convinced Morocco is behind this. I say this openly and responsibly, but all signs point to that." He accused Morocco of using border control and migration pressure as a tool to challenge a European Union member state. Despite this, Vivas directed his strongest criticism at Spain's central government. He said its behavior "has not been adequate" and that it has not met its constitutional duties "before, during, or after" the crisis. He claimed the government had the information needed to predict the events, while again acknowledging his own lack of awareness of the scale. Vivas also revealed that King Felipe VI had committed to an official visit to Ceuta during a conversation in August. He added that Feijóo told him after the mass entry that "when territorial integrity and sovereignty are at stake, the most important thing is to defend them above all else." Vivas argued that the only solution is the return of all migrants to their country of origin. "There is no other way out," he said. He acknowledged this would require legal exceptions but insisted it is "a possible alternative" that only requires "political will." He urged the government to provide a specific date for Ceuta's return to normalcy.