MADRID, Spain – Minister of Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres has stated that it is now “impossible” to provide an exact figure for the number of migrants remaining in Ceuta following the mass entry on 30 July, acknowledging that more than a month after the incident, authorities still do not know precisely how many people are in the autonomous city. The admission comes weeks after the government estimated the number at approximately 5,000, a figure significantly lower than police assessments at the time.
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In an interview with Cadena Ser Canarias, Torres confirmed that 4,000 people have voluntarily returned to Morocco since 10 August, and also verified that 2,000 unaccompanied migrant minors have been identified, though he acknowledged that the number could rise as some remain on the streets. According to government calculations, approximately 90 per cent of the more than 70,000 people who entered from Morocco on 30 and 31 July returned within the two days following the crossing. However, Torres noted that many of those who did not return went into the hills and are now coming down to the beach, making it impossible to determine an exact count of those still present.
The minister reiterated that 3,500 places have already been made available across various facilities, with plans to accommodate up to 6,000 migrants temporarily until all cases are resolved and those who are not asylum seekers are returned. The fluctuating figures surrounding the crisis have been a constant since the first day. Weeks ago, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska spoke of approximately 5,000 people, including about 1,500 minors, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez gave the same figure shortly afterwards. However, a report prepared by the National Police’s National Immigration and Borders Centre estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 migrants could remain in Ceuta, though it cautioned that the estimate could not be considered reliable due to the volatile nature of the situation, with migrants scattered across reception centres, makeshift camps, lodgings with relatives and concealed locations such as garages and warehouses.
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What Torres has been able to confirm is the number of unaccompanied migrant minors, approximately 2,000 identified, nearly double the figure given by Minister of Youth and Childhood Sira Rego two weeks ago, though he assumed the number would increase as some remain on the streets. He stressed that family reunification remains the priority and recalled that the courts have previously condemned those who signed resolutions to return all migrants in Ceuta, including minors, in reference to the ruling on the hot returns of Moroccan minors following the mass crossing of 2021 on the Perejil islet.
