Morocco dismisses spain’s ceuta migration claims, points to judicial ruling

Moroccan authorities on Monday vehemently denied Spain’s allegations that they encouraged the recent surge of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Instead, Rabat points to a Spanish court ruling as the root cause, arguing it undermined existing measures to deter irregular migration.

A high-ranking Moroccan official emphasized that Spanish authorities should have foreseen the repercussions of a July 8 court decision. This ruling restricted the immediate return of migrants arriving in Ceuta by sea back to Morocco.

According to Rabat, human trafficking networks swiftly capitalized on this judicial shift, propagating the notion that migrants would find protection upon entering Spanish territory. “Europe expects us to halt these crossings, yet simultaneously facilitates them once they occur,” the official stated candidly.

Previously, Juan Jesús Vivas, the President of the Ceuta enclave, had directly accused Morocco of “encouraging and permitting” the significant migrant influx. Concurrently, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a caution against any attempts to weaponize irregular migration as a tool for political pressure on an EU member state.

For its part, Morocco firmly states that it neither relaxed border controls nor scaled back its security apparatus in the lead-up to last Thursday’s large-scale crossings. Rabat affirms its deployment of approximately 24,000 security personnel along its northern coastline, specifically tasked with combating irregular immigration.

Moroccan authorities report thwarting 79,000 irregular crossing attempts in 2024 and another 74,000 since early 2026. They characterize their collaborative efforts with Spain on migration control as “exemplary” right up until the contentious July judicial ruling.

Ultimately, Rabat urges Madrid to reinstate an effective deterrent mechanism. However, it also underscores that Morocco “will never be complicit in an approach to migration that is solely focused on security.”