Brussels: Ceuta’s leader Juan Jesus Vivas informed EU lawmakers at the European Parliament on Thursday that approximately 100 individuals lost their lives during the recent border surge last week. He emphasized that the city is still grappling with the aftermath of the event, particularly with the presence of unaccompanied migrant minors who remain in Ceuta. Vivas described the situation as “unsustainable” and urgently called for government intervention.

According to Deutsche Welle, Vivas’s visit to Brussels follows a dramatic influx of around 72,000 migrants who crossed the border between Morocco and Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta. This incident has led to tensions between several EU countries and Madrid, prompting Italy to suspend the Schengen free-travel agreement with Spain. On Wednesday, the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras reported that approximately 141 individuals died on July 30, with 63 bodies recovered in Morocco and 78 in Ceuta.

The Spanish government has stated that nearly all of the migrants have returned to Morocco. However, Vivas noted that between 3,000 and 4,000 migrants remain in Ceuta. He highlighted the lack of adequate security resources to manage the situation, stating, “Security forces have not been deployed with the intensity required by the situation we are still facing.” Vivas also pointed out the insufficient reinforcement of immigration services to handle border rejections.

Morocco has expressed its readiness to cooperate in identifying unaccompanied minors to facilitate their return to their homeland, as reported by the state news agency MAP. It is estimated that hundreds of unaccompanied minors in Ceuta are facing limited access to essential resources such as food, water, shelter, and sanitation. Jose Miguel Morales, head of Federacion Sur Acoge, a migrant rights organization in southern Spain, has reported that some children have suffered beatings and assaults. He stressed the urgency of finding a solution and providing safe accommodation for these vulnerable children, particularly girls.

Another organization, Save the Children, has called for the registration of all minors and warned of the heightened risks of violence, trafficking, and exploitation faced by girls. In 2025, following a surge of migration that overwhelmed reception centers in the Canary Islands, Spain enacted an immigration law reform mandating the redistribution of unaccompanied minors from overstretched areas within 15 days of their case file completion.

However, the redistribution of these children to other parts of Spain is expected to face resistance from regions governed by the center-right Popular Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party. Spain’s socialist government has cautioned against such pushback, with Deputy Prime Minister Carlos Cuerpo stating that the PP and its regional governments “must comply with the law just like everyone else.”