In Ceuta the emergency is not over. This was said by Juan Jesus Vivas, mayor and president of the autonomous city during the video-link hearing of the Libe commission of the European Parliament, requested by the president of the commission Javier Zarzalejos.
The mayor of the autonomous city and the fears of a new exodus
“The reception centers are collapsing,” he said. This is a “large-scale humanitarian emergency. The population is fearful and worried, and rightly so”, because one wonders whether what happened last week cannot “repeat”, given that “our integrity is in the hands of a third country, Morocco, which does not recognize our sovereignty”.
According to Vivas, the exodus of July 30 was “an attack, a violation of territorial integrity. It is not a migratory crisis, but an episode in which the integrity of the city, of Spain and of Europe was called into question. Ceuta has not returned to normality – he explained – because 3-5 thousand people remain in the city” of those who entered last week.
The mayor of the autonomous city, a member of the People’s Party, used the term “invasion”, which, he explained, “means the anomalous and irregular occupation of a territory”. In light of this scenario, Juan Vivas argued that it is “absolutely essential” that the competent authorities take the necessary measures to restore normality, including the immediate expulsion of migrants who entered the city irregularly and the reinforcement of the personnel stationed in the autonomous city.
The migrants who remained in Ceuta
For the mayor, the rumors circulating online about another exodus scheduled for August 15 are “proof that Ceuta lives in anguish. We don’t know if it will happen again. What we have seen is that our border is absolutely vulnerable”. Meanwhile, as El Faro de Ceuta reports, many migrants have camped on Trampolín beach awaiting news about their future. “Between the sand and the rocks – we read in the newspaper -, they spend hours playing football, chatting, resting or simply contemplating the panorama” of the Spanish peninsula “in the distance”.
◼️ Trampolín beach and the CETI leaders have converted into provisional shelters for hundreds of immigrants who are looking for a response in their future.
📍 Keep all the information on El Faro de Ceuta via our link in bio. #Ceuta #FronteraSur… pic.twitter.com/5nsn5lUuLg
— El Faro de Ceuta (@ElFarodeCeuta) August 6, 2026