Ceuta border returns to normal after mass migrant influx

After a massive attempt by tens of thousands of migrants to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, normal traffic for people and vehicles at the Castillejos border checkpoint has been restored. Police presence has been reduced, though water‑cannon trucks and a new 500‑metre inflatable barrier at the Tarajal jetty remain in place.

Moroccan authorities said roughly 40,000 migrants reached the Ceuta border and 1,135 arrived in Melilla, with 11 deaths reported in Morocco and a total of 72 fatalities linked to the crisis. Spanish security forces estimate that about 69,500 migrants have been returned to Morocco, the vast majority of those who entered.

Individual migrants, such as three young Moroccans who walked back from Ceuta to Castillejos, describe the border as saturated and cite the new barrier as a deterrent to further attempts. NGOs warn the barrier could facilitate “hot returns” despite a recent Supreme Court ruling that had halted such practices.