The Spanish government was plunged into crisis on Wednesday after a leaked police report suggested Moroccan forces played a role in pushing migrants towards Ceuta in an unprecedented border violation, putting Madrid on the defensive. Several media outlets, citing a police document, alleged that Moroccan authorities helped push migrants by sea, acted “passively” and concluded that the mass influx of around 80,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave was not accidental. The accusations have sparked a political frenzy, putting Spain’s Interior Ministry on the defensive. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, criticized for his handling of the most serious national security breach in Spain’s modern history, ordered police to clarify the claims, which directly contradict the government’s narrative. A senior police official later denied there was any report that directly blamed Morocco, but the statement did little to calm tensions as Sánchez’s government struggles to contain the crisis, with thousands of migrants still stranded in the city to the frustration of local residents. Protests in support of Ceuta took place throughout Spain on Wednesday. The leak war also indicates that the Spanish Interior Ministry, one of the most politically sensitive government departments, appears to have lost control of part of its police, seeking to embarrass the government or bring new information to light. It is not uncommon for the Spanish government and the opposition to accuse each other of “legal warfare,” referring to courts or police departments considered politically aligned for partisan benefits. The question of how much the Spanish government knew in the hours leading up to it is critical to its political survival as Sánchez faces his most serious crisis yet ahead of the 2027 election. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo told reporters that the government “knew it and covered it up.” Serious consequences Spain has not blamed Morocco, even after describing the dramatic events in Ceuta, where more than 150 people died at sea, as a violation of its territorial integrity, while asking for solidarity from its European neighbors. Instead, Madrid has pointed to false claims on social media linked to a court ruling and human traffickers as the main drivers of the mass influx, a position echoed by the European Commission, which, even as the border collapsed, continued to describe Morocco as a “reliable partner” in tackling irregular migration. A European Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the leaked report, calling it a national matter. Earlier this week, Sánchez also suggested that Russia and Israel played a role in amplifying disinformation. Spain and Israel have clashed over the war in Gaza. Still, questions remain about how Moroccan authorities, who also patrol the border, failed to detect and break up the buildup of migrants along the border. Juan Fernando López Aguilar, a former socialist justice minister and member of the European Parliament, told Euronews this week that “it’s just obvious, it couldn’t have happened without the Moroccan authorities overlooking it.” “That’s common sense. But the government has to act based on facts and evidence,” he told Euronews’ main programme, Europe Today. Spanish ministers have given conflicting accounts about what they knew in the previous days and whether intelligence agencies had passed on critical information. The issue is politically sensitive: any failure to comply with warnings related to national security would amount to gross negligence and could fuel calls for a vote of no confidence against the prime minister and his government. Ceuta ‘at breaking point’ Beyond politics, the Spanish government also faces serious operational difficulties on the ground in Ceuta, where around 5,000 migrants (about half of them minors) remain in the city. Local authorities put the figure closer to 10,000. On Wednesday, the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, said the city was on edge, placing the blame squarely on Morocco and accusing Rabat of harassment. “Morocco has had and continues to have an unwavering objective: to suffocate, harass and demolish our two cities,” he said, referring to Ceuta and its twin city, Melilla, also located in North Africa. “I think that no one doubts that what has happened to us is not a migration crisis. What has happened is that the territorial integrity of Spain has been violated.” Vivas has demanded that all migrants be returned, describing it as the only way to restore normality in Ceuta. But Spanish authorities face a difficult balancing act. Strict laws protecting minors prevent immediate returns, even if they crossed illegally, while local authorities have yet to provide public spaces for the identification of migrants, creating further administrative delays. Facing scrutiny from its European neighbors, Madrid has also promised that the situation in Ceuta will not affect the Schengen area, which allows the free movement of people in the EU, but which is limiting its ability to transfer migrants to mainland Spain away from Ceuta to provide aid. Faced with the complex situation, the Spanish authorities have requested help from Frontex, the EU agency responsible for the bloc’s external borders. Moroccan authorities have argued that Spain’s mass regularization plan announced earlier this year may have acted as an incentive for migrants to cross.
