The late-July surge<\/a> of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco<\/a> through one of Europe\u2019s only land borders with Africa \u2013 along with the Spanish enclave of Melilla \u2013 has divided the EU and put S\u00e1nchez under huge political pressure at home and abroad.<\/p>\n This week, Donald Trump<\/a> waded into the row by claiming Spain\u2019s handling of the migration crisis will destroy the nation.<\/p>\n \u201cSpain will be a ruined country, and I\u2019ve had my own problems with Spain because it doesn\u2019t behave very well with respect to Nato,\u201d he told GB News on Thursday.<\/p>\n Trump was referring to Spain\u2019s refusal to agree to the American demand for all Nato nations<\/a> to pay 5 per cent of GDP to the military alliance, which led to the US President threatening to end all trade with Spain, a threat he has yet to fulfil.<\/p>\n Spain has been more open to migration than other countries in Europe, but the issue has become increasingly divisive in the wake of the Ceuta crisis, polls showed.<\/p>\n Tens of thousands of angry protesters filled cities and towns across Spain on Wednesday night to mark Ceuta\u2019s \u201cnational day\u201d and protest at the Government\u2019s handling of the issue.<\/p>\n Police fired rubber bullets to break up the demonstration in Madrid, and there were major protests in the cities of Barcelona, Valencia and Seville.<\/p>\n Waving Spanish flags, demonstrators shouted, \u201cA united Ceuta will never be defeated\u201d, \u201cS\u00e1nchez to prison\u201d and \u201cinvaders \u2013 go home\u201d \u2013 in reference to the thousands of migrants who remain in the city. Spanish authorities claim the vast majority of an estimated 72,000 arrivals from Morocco have since returned.<\/p>\n Bego\u00f1a Tamarit, 51, from Valencia, said: \u201cNot only do we want these migrants to go home, we want S\u00e1nchez to go too.\u201d<\/p>\n After the protest in Madrid, Jos\u00e9 Ignacio Prieto, 35, said: \u201cThis has shown this Government for what it is \u2013 unable and unwilling to deal with the biggest crisis in years. They should go.\u201d<\/p>\n Days after migrants swam or walked into Ceuta on 30 July, 22 out of 27 EU countries signed a letter criticising S\u00e1nchez\u2019s lax migration policy, singling out a recent migration amnesty which has allowed one million immigrants to gain legal status.<\/p>\n The Prime Minister angrily hit back at his EU critics, saying they were acting out of \u201cprejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest\u201d.<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez was also widely criticised at home for going on holiday to Lanzarote days after the crisis exploded.<\/p>\n More than a month after the incursion, at least 5,000 migrants are still camped out on the main beach or in the streets in Ceuta.<\/p>\n Many pundits in Spain and abroad have pointed the finger at Morocco, saying it could have prevented the entrance of migrants. But Sanchez said there was no evidence Morocco planned the influx.<\/p>\n \u201cI can assure you that no institution, not the diplomatic service, nor the European Commission, nor any international body has provided the Spanish Government with any solid evidence that Morocco planned or carried out the incident. None whatsoever,\u201d he told the Spanish Parliament on Thursday.<\/p>\n However, a Spanish police report has suggested otherwise, claiming that for over 10 hours, on 30 July, Moroccan police had helped or guided migrants over the border.<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez said Spanish authorities were trying to determine whether this was due to unwillingness or inability to stop thousands of migrants.<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez blamed the incursion on a misinterpretation of a Spanish Supreme Court ruling in July, which said migrants who swam from Morocco to Ceuta would not be automatically sent back, and disinformation spread on social media.<\/p>\n The Prime Minister has also accused social media accounts linked to Russia and Israel and right-wing groups of exploiting the Ceuta crisis after it happened, a claim dismissed by both countries.<\/p>\n Analysts say S\u00e1nchez has been politically damaged by the crisis as he faces a general election year in 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cThe damage is obvious,\u201d Pablo Sim\u00f3n, a political analyst at the Carlos III University in Madrid, said. \u201cI think it is obvious that the general perception is one of slow response and lack of firmness with Morocco.\u201d<\/p>\n Before the Ceuta crisis, S\u00e1nchez\u2019s Socialist party trailed in second place in polls all this year and the opposition conservative People\u2019s Party won four key regional elections.<\/p>\n Ana Carmona, a political analyst at the University of Seville, said the Ceuta incursion was an attack on Spain\u2019s territorial integrity, which she believed was handled \u201cterribly\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cS\u00e1nchez has allowed the entire month of August to pass without openly addressing the crisis. The failure to promptly call on [EU border agency] Frontex and seek EU involvement is difficult to understand. Ceuta is an external border of the European Union,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Migration has become a more divisive issue in Spain, a country which was renowned for its liberal attitudes for foreigners \u2013 until now.<\/p>\n More than 60 illegal migrants jumped from a high-speed smuggling boat onto Cala del Barco beach in Murcia, \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8Spain, causing startled tourists to flee.<\/p>\n So much for the handling of the migration crisis by the Spanish authorities? pic.twitter.com\/NMlKyfiv79<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dovydas Vitkauskas (@Dovydas44444) August 20, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n A poll published on 31 August for Agenda P\u00fablica<\/a>, a Spanish political website, found immigration was splitting Spanish society, with 40.5 per cent of those polled viewing it in a negative way, while 29.7 per cent said it brought more benefits and 27.9 per cent were ambivalent.<\/p>\n![\"MADRID,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SEI_310433350_14c42f.jpg\")
Nationwide demonstrations in Madrid on 2 September following a call by the Federation of Municipalities. Protests were held in major cities across the country (Photo: Burak Akbulut\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"CEUTA,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SEI_310457605.jpg\")
A migrant camp in Ceuta for new arrivals from Morocco, pictured this week (Photo: Pablo Gallardo\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"MADRID,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SEI_310518798.jpg\")
Spain\u2019s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is under mounting pressure over Ceuta (Photo: Olmo Blanco\/Getty)<\/p>\n\n