CEUTA, Spain – Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has not interrupted his summer holiday to provide explanations about the crisis affecting Ceuta, instead leaving accountability to several of his ministers, having not appeared publicly since July 31, when he made his only public appearance in the autonomous city following the mass entry of thousands of citizens from Morocco. After that visit, he departed for La Mareta in Lanzarote to begin his summer break, from where he has held two virtual coordination meetings, as Moncloa defines them, with some government members regarding the situation, while the crisis has now stretched beyond two weeks with the prime minister maintaining his silence.
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On August 6, the parade of ministers to Ceuta began, nearly a week after the mass assault occurred with no central government representatives present. The first was the Minister of Youth and Childhood, Sira Rego, followed by the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, on August 10; Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares arrived the following day; Defence Minister Margarita Robles visited on August 12; and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska returned to the city on August 13 after having accompanied the prime minister on his earlier visit. Health Minister Mónica García and Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration Minister Elma Saiz travelled to Ceuta on August 16 and 17 respectively, where they were met with boos from residents still demanding help to restore normality.
Sánchez has attempted to fill his absence with videos on social media recommending songs and books for summer while Ceuta remained mired in chaos, with no further public statements on the Ceuta crisis to date. He has, however, held two virtual meetings from La Mareta with some of his ministers, the first on August 7 to coordinate efforts and examine ongoing work, and the second on August 17, though no new announcements emerged from the latter to address the crisis facing the autonomous city.
Altos cargos del PSOE empiezan a criticar la pasividad de Pedro Sánchez con la crisis de Ceuta https://t.co/WbnjsIAIuu
— José Ignacio Segura Rama (@IgnacioSeguraRm) August 19, 2026
Y Pedro Sánchez lleva ya 20 días de vacaciones pagadas en Canarias en un palacio de patrimonio naciona
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The situation has drawn criticism from multiple quarters, with Ceuta’s president Juan Jesús Vivas pointing to the government’s lack of measures to guarantee border security and insisting that the expulsion of all irregular entrants is the only way for Ceuta to return to normality, while even the PSOE in Ceuta has criticised the prime minister’s absence, with socialist deputy Melchor León describing the government’s response as insufficient and delayed. The criticism has been compounded by two empty seats in the Senate after the PP summoned the Foreign and Defence ministers to address the migration crisis, with both declining to attend.
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Sánchez is expected to return to political activity on August 25, when the first Council of Ministers will be held after the summer break, with Margarita Robles set to begin a round of parliamentary appearances that day in the Congress of Deputies to provide explanations on the migration crisis. In total, seven government ministers will appear before their respective committees to account for the management of the mass entry of immigrants into the autonomous city, with the prime minister himself ruling out giving explanations in the lower house as demanded by the opposition. The growing discontent reflects broader frustrations over the government’s handling of the crisis and the perceived lack of urgency from the highest levels of leadership.
