The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 3 travel advisory – Reconsider Travel – for Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta. The warning comes after tens of thousands of migrants surged into the territory from neighboring Morocco, prompting a significant security response from Spanish authorities.
According to the advisory, the "massive and uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta may lead to unpredictable and dangerous security situations." Spain has deployed its military, National Police, and Guardia Civil in response to the situation.
The advisory specifically applies to Ceuta, an autonomous Spanish city located on the northern coast of Africa that shares a border with Morocco. Travel advisories for the remainder of Spain remain unchanged.
Spanish officials reported that approximately 50,000 migrants entered Ceuta between Thursday and Friday, with Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas estimating around 60,000 over a 24-hour period. Authorities stated that thousands have since returned to Morocco.
In response to the influx, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced plans to increase security force presence in Ceuta, deploy a sea barrier to aid in repatriations, and continue collaborating with Moroccan authorities to disrupt human trafficking networks. Sánchez attributed the surge to human trafficking organizations misrepresenting a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling on migrants arriving by sea.
Ceuta, along with the Spanish enclave of Melilla, has historically been a focal point for irregular migration into Europe due to their geographic location on the African mainland while being integral parts of Spain and the European Union. The situation in Ceuta has drawn international attention, including comments from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who characterized the event as an "invasion" and warned of similar potential scenarios in the United States.