In brief
Declassified documents show that Spain’s Central Intelligence Service (CNI) notified Moroccan and Ceuta authorities on 29 July that social‑media groups were encouraging migrants to cross the following day. The warning coincided with the largest influx of migrants—over 70,000—crossing from Morocco into Ceuta the next two days, a move that caused dozens of deaths and left thousands stranded. Opponents of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez claim the documents expose government mis‑management, while Sánchez maintains the scale was unforeseen. The revelations spark fresh debate over border security and the role of online platforms in facilitating mass crossings.
Spanish intelligence services raised alarm on 29 July that social‑media groups were urging migrants to cross into Ceuta the next day.
New de‑classified documents show the Central Intelligence Service (CNI) warned Moroccan and Ceuta authorities that WhatsApp and Facebook groups were coordinating a massive crossing, citing 180,000 individuals receiving the messages. Warning text described the crossing as being “on Throne Day 30 July at 8 am, when authorities will be occupied with celebrations.”
On July 30–31, more than 72,000 migrants left Morocco for Ceuta, many swimming past a border fence or using the fence itself. Ceuta’s mayor later reported that at least 100 people died in the attempt. The surge left thousands in makeshift camps on city beaches, prompting local unrest and instances of blocked humanitarian aid.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has insisted the influx was “impossible to predict,” citing a lack of information on the crisis’s magnitude. However, opposition parties argue the CNI warnings contradict these claims and accuse the government of misleading the public. Conservative MP Ester Muñoz said “they had the information, they are directly responsible for the invasion”; Vox’s Jorge Buxadé called for Sánchez to be charged with treason.
Government officials claim the CNI messages were “an exchange of information, not an alert” and that the available information did not allow for adequate preparation. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares reiterated he was “not aware of any report foreseeing the scale of what happened on July 30.”
In related coverage, protests erupted across Spain over the government’s handling of the crisis, and a separate inquiry found daily sexual assaults occurring in Ceuta.
