Ceuta: Historian Patrick Weil on Spain's Border Surge and EU Migration Controls (legrandcontinent.eu)

• Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish enclaves in Schengen and the EU's only land border with Africa.
• Frontex recorded roughly 178,000 irregular crossings across all EU external borders in 2025, the lowest since 2021.
• Spain's Supreme Court ruled on 8 July 2026 that automatic hot returns at Ceuta and Melilla are unlawful.
• Spain and Morocco agreed to repatriate people held in Ceuta; Weil calls the camp conditions a humanitarian emergency.

"Historian Patrick Weil argues that the July 2026 surge at Ceuta, which saw 40,000–50,000 people enter the Spanish enclave in days and at least 19 deaths, is a structural consequence of Spain's land border with Morocco rather than evidence of Europe being overwhelmed. Citing Frontex data showing about 178,000 irregular crossings across the EU's external borders in all of 2025, Weil rejects submersion narratives. He notes Spain and Morocco are cooperating on repatriation, links the surge to Spain's Supreme Court ruling of 8 July 2026 against automatic pushbacks, and dismisses claims that Morocco orchestrated the crisis on the Throne Day holiday."