Thousands of migrants remain in Spanish territory after border rush, death toll hits about 100: Ceuta official

Between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants stay successful Ceuta aft hordes of mostly military-aged men rushed into the Spanish enclave from Morocco precocious past month, Ceuta's president said Thursday.

While speaking from a video telephone during an bonzer league of the European Parliament's Committee connected Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas besides revealed astir 100 radical died during the surge.

Authorities estimation astir 80,000 migrants rushed into the territory wrong a 48-hour play successful precocious July.

Vivas called the borderline situation an "invasion" and "one of the astir hard moments successful the caller past of our city."

"According to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, an 'invasion' should beryllium understood successful its 2nd explanation arsenic the abnormal oregon irregular concern of a circumstantial place," Vivas said, according to a Fox News Digital translation of his remarks, which helium gave successful Spanish.

AT LEAST 72 DEAD AMID MASS MIGRANT RUSH TO STORM SPANISH ENCLAVE OF CEUTA SPARKING BORDER CRISIS

Migrants tally and cheer arsenic they transverse connected ft into the North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco, aft swimming implicit from the Moroccan broadside and overwhelming constabulary astatine the city's breakwater, according to Spain's Guardia Civil, successful Ceuta, Spain, July 30, 2026. (FARO TV via Reuters)

"That is precisely what occurred connected July 30 and 31, erstwhile astir 80,000 radical — equivalent to the full colonisation of Ceuta — stormed into our city. This characterization, moreover, aligns with the connection made by the President of the Government of Spain, who connected Friday the 31st, during his sojourn to Ceuta, stated that we were facing an attack, a usurpation of Spain's territorial integrity," Vivas continued.

Echoing erstwhile claims from Spain's leftist President Pedro Sánchez and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Vivas acknowledged astir 75,000 of the migrants had returned to Morocco but added "under nary circumstances does it let america to assertion that our metropolis has returned to normal."

"Ceuta has not returned to mean due to the fact that betwixt 3,000 and 5,000 radical who entered during those fateful days of July 30 and 31 inactive remain," Vivas said. "The reception centers for big and insignificant migrants are successful a authorities of collapse, turning the influx into a large humanitarian emergency."

"Added to this are disruptions to nationalist bid and a precocious hazard to nationalist safety," helium continued. "Furthermore, the morale of Ceuta's residents is severely affected. Our colonisation feels sad, helpless, uneasy, fearful, and disquieted — and with bully reason. It is inevitable to wonderment whether this volition hap again, and if that adjacent clip volition beryllium the definitive plunge into the abyss, causing america to cease being what we are: Spain and Europe. It has been exposed to the satellite that we are extraordinarily vulnerable, and that our information and integrity are successful the hands of a 3rd country, Morocco, which does not admit our sovereignty."

Migrants hold extracurricular Ceuta's impermanent migrant halfway (CETI), which is presently astatine afloat capacity, pursuing wide crossings of migrants connected ft and by oversea from Morocco into Spanish territory, successful Ceuta, Spain, Aug. 3, 2026. (Pedro Nunes/Reuters)

He past projected a acceptable of actions authorities should instrumentality to instrumentality the metropolis to normal. The proposals included expelling the remaining Moroccan migrants, provisioning much resources for the city's migrant facilities, and the implementation of a caller economical exemplary which helium called connected to beryllium "More Spain and More Europe."

CEUTA MIGRANT SURGE EXPOSES SPAIN-MOROCCO TENSIONS AS ISLAMIST GROUPS REPORTEDLY SEEK TO EXPLOIT BORDER CRISIS

"We service a nine that has forged its quality done courageousness to endure and the quality to flooded adversity. We are assured it volition bash truthful again, though I stress that the requested enactment from European authorities remains indispensable. Thank you precise much," Vivas concluded.

Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas seen during a gathering astatine the Consolat de Mar connected Aug. 6, 2026, successful Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain. The gathering takes spot conscionable 1 week aft the unprecedented migration situation astatine the borderline betwixt Ceuta and Morocco. (Javier Fernandez/Europa Press via Getty Images)

Following the borderline unreserved betwixt July 30-31, Sánchez called the incidental "an attack, a usurpation of the territorial integrity of Spain."

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Fox News Digital contacted the governments of Spain and Ceuta for further comment.