RismadarVoice Reporters
September 10, 2026
Spain’s intelligence agency had warned authorities about possible mass migrant crossings into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta shortly before tens of thousands of people entered the territory from Morocco in late July, according to declassified documents.
The documents, released on Wednesday, showed that Spain’s National Intelligence Centre (CNI) alerted government officials and Moroccan intelligence agencies about planned attempts by migrants and asylum seekers to breach the Ceuta border through the fence or by sea.
According to the files, the CNI sent an alert on July 29, a day before more than 72,000 people crossed into Ceuta, warning of calls on social media for an organised assault on the border.
The message referenced online groups with a combined following of about 180,000 people and warned that migrants planned to take advantage of Morocco’s Throne Day celebrations on July 30.
Spanish intelligence officials also informed Morocco’s intelligence services about possible attempts to climb the border fence or swim into Ceuta.
However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected claims that the documents showed authorities had advance knowledge of the scale of the crisis that later unfolded.
Sánchez said the campaign was known and monitored but did not indicate the size, nature or likelihood of the mass crossing that occurred.
A declassified CNI report stated that Moroccan authorities were likely not actively encouraging the migration wave but had acted in a “negligent and passive manner” by failing to prevent the movement.
The report said Moroccan security forces struggled to control the crowd, with several hundred migrants reportedly swimming across to Ceuta on the night of July 29.
More than a month after the border surge, about 5,000 migrants and asylum seekers, including 1,200 minors, remain in Ceuta, according to Spanish government figures, while local officials estimate the number could be as high as 10,000.
The Spanish government has pledged about $357 million in aid to address the humanitarian situation, while opposition parties have accused the administration of failing to act despite receiving intelligence warnings before the crisis.
The Popular Party’s parliamentary spokeswoman, Ester Muñoz, accused the government of having prior information and being responsible for the situation.
