{"id":2638047,"date":"2026-07-31T05:21:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T09:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/at-least-18-die-after-breach-of-border-between-morocco-and-spanish-territory-of-ceuta\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T05:32:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T09:32:05","slug":"at-least-18-die-after-breach-of-border-between-morocco-and-spanish-territory-of-ceuta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/at-least-18-die-after-breach-of-border-between-morocco-and-spanish-territory-of-ceuta\/","title":{"rendered":"At least 18 die after breach of border between Morocco and Spanish territory of Ceuta"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fat-least-18-die-after-breach-of-border-between-morocco-and-spanish-territory-of-ceuta%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2638047&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>At least 18 migrants died attempting to cross into the Spanish territory of Ceuta after thousands breached the border with Morocco, resulting in violent clashes and chaos.The situation is described as a severe humanitarian crisis, with many migrants, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-chip-roy-says-biden-admin-basically-turning-dhs-into-a-welcome-mat-for-illegal-immigrants\/\" title=\"Rep. Chip Roy Says Biden Admin \u2018Basically Turning DHS Into A Welcome Mat\u2019 For Illegal Im...\">including unaccompanied children<\/a>, sleeping rough in the area. The border surge follows a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling that prohibits the immediate return of sea-arriving migrants without due process, even though this does not apply to land crossings.The spike in crossings has prompted CeutaS regional authorities to request Madrid declare a state of emergency and deploy the military to secure the border. Video footage shows large migratory groups, mainly Moroccans, some shouting patriotic slogans, with many attempting to enter ceuta, while others seek to return to Morocco. The reasons behind the surge remain unclear,but increased arrivals have overwhelmed local facilities. Spain&#8217;s Prime Minister is expected to visit Ceuta to assess the situation. This border crisis has wider implications, including discussions in Italy about border security, and follows growing migration flows into Europe, often involving dangerous sea crossings from Morocco.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CEUTA, Spain (AP) \u2014<\/strong> At least 18 migrants died trying to reach the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/spain\/\">Spanish<\/a> territory of Ceuta after thousands of people breached the frontier with Morocco and poured into the tiny Spanish territory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/border-crisis\/\">border crisis<\/a> boiled over Thursday and overnight. Spain\u2019s state broadcaster RTVE broadcast images of burned cars on the Moroccan side of the border after reported clashes.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4670461\/morocco-migrants-border-rush-spain-cueta\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>At least 18 die after breach of border between Morocco and Spanish territory of Ceuta<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4669558\/ninth-circuit-deepens-split-trump-detention-policy\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ninth Circuit deepens split among appeals courts over Trump\u2019s mandatory detention policy<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4669205\/trump-administration-first-case-dormant-alien-terrorist-removal-court\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump administration launches first case before dormant \u2018Alien Terrorist\u2019 court<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers, called the situation a \u201cserious humanitarian crisis,\u201d saying thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, were left sleeping in parks and sidewalks, while others roamed the streets aimlessly.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople are still entering. The reinforcements that have arrived are only helping the injured and other humanitarian efforts,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s chaotic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez is expected to join Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in a visit to Ceuta on Friday morning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the 18 who died, many drowned, Sbihi said, but some were also killed in a stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach, an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Video footage on Thursday showed throngs of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters onto local roads. While most appeared to be young men, there were also families with women and small children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cViva Espa\u00f1a!\u201d some shouted to a freelance photographer working for the <em>Associated Press<\/em>. Late Thursday into Friday, the photographer saw people amassed on the Moroccan side of the border trying to cross into Ceuta but also people walking from Ceuta toward Morocco, trying to return.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moroccan authorities have not publicly commented on the crossings, and Morocco\u2019s Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was not immediately clear what prompted so many people to cross to Ceuta.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spain is a main point of arrival into Europe for migrants seeking better economic opportunities or an escape from violence in their home countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To reach Ceuta, located on the northern African coast, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about 3 miles (5 kilometers) to reach Spanish territory. Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-arrivals-had-been-increasing-but-reasons-are-still-unclear\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Arrivals had been increasing, but reasons are still unclear<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The escalation at the frontier between Spain and Morocco comes after a surge in migrants attempting to reach the small exclave, mainly by swimming, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The chaos had ripple effects in Italy, another key destination for migrants. Premier Giorgia Meloni threatened to suspend Italy\u2019s open-border Schengen agreement with Spain \u201cto defend our borders and ensure the safety of our citizens,\u201d though Italy doesn\u2019t share a border with Spain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ceuta authorities had previously linked the surge to a Spanish Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that barred authorities from immediately returning migrants who arrive by sea without due process. The ruling does not apply to migrants who enter Spain by land, including by climbing over the border fence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some activists in Morocco expressed doubt that the ruling was behind the surge, arguing most migrants would have been unaware of such legal decisions.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-ceuta-authorities-ask-madrid-to-declare-emergency-send-army\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ceuta authorities ask Madrid to declare emergency, send army<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juan Jes\u00fas Vivas, the head of Ceuta\u2019s regional government, had called for the national government to declare an emergency on grounds of national security, asking for more police and for the army to be deployed on the border \u201cto guarantee the inviolability of the frontier and citizen safety.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He had warned that migrant reception centers were already overwhelmed on Wednesday, with hundreds of people sleeping on the streets. Thousands or even tens of thousands are believed to have arrived since then.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spain\u2019s Interior Ministry, which tracks irregular migration, would not confirm the number of migrants who had made it to Ceuta in the past few days but said it would publish its next migration report on Aug. 3.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4669558\/ninth-circuit-deepens-split-trump-detention-policy\/#google_vignette\">NINTH CIRCUIT DEEPENS SPLIT AMONG APPEALS COURTS OVER TRUMP\u2019S MANDATORY DETENTION POLICY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Legislation covering a declaration of national emergencies does not consider migration flows as a risk to national security, according to the ministry, which said government agencies are \u201ccoordinating to respond with speed and efficacy to the situation in Ceuta.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/world-cup-soccer-sports-africa-middle-east-acb12f0545acb3a880b881fc147f5985\">Ceuta,<\/a> which is perched on a historical isthmus, has been a Spanish possession since 1580. Its mixed population of Christians and Muslims, Spanish and Moroccan residents and day workers, lives in relative harmony behind a border fence that many desperate migrants from across Africa attempt to cross for a better life in Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>18 migrants die as thousands breach Ceuta border, clashes erupt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2638048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26212207058736.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[83470,83471,13431],"class_list":["post-2638047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-border-breach","tag-ceuta","tag-morocco"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26212207058736.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2638047"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2638051,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638047\/revisions\/2638051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2638048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2638047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2638047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2638047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}