Newly released security documents show Spain’s National Intelligence Service (CNI) warned of a mass migrant crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta the day before the surge, according to de‑classified papers.
On 29 July, the CNI alerted Moroccan and Ceuta officials that WhatsApp and Facebook groups were encouraging people to cross the following day. The agency identified about 180,000 participants in the message chain, which urged that the “last chance” to cross would be on 30 July amid the Spanish Crown’s celebrations when authorities would be distracted.
Despite this warning, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told parliament that “no information conveyed the magnitude” of the crisis that the government claimed would unfold on 30 and 31 July. The declaration is now disputed by opposition parties, who point to the documents as evidence the Government misled the public.
The mass crossing saw over 72,000 migrants enter Ceuta, most swimming past the border fence, and at least 100 people lost their lives. Many more remain in makeshift camps or sleeping on beaches, sparking local unrest and safety concerns.
The CNI reached out by text to the central government’s Ceuta office and the civil guard with the warning, as part of a set of over 40 documents de‑classified because of mounting pressure on Sánchez over his handling of the crisis.
Sánchez has maintained that there is no evidence of Moroccan complicity, while a government source said that the documents showed the information available before the mass crossing did not allow the state to anticipate the full scale of the crisis.
Critics, including Conservatives and the far‑right Vox, have called for accountability, with some demanding that the Prime Minister face treason and security crime charges. The government remains steadfast, claiming it acted according to the information it had.
