Between July 30 and 31, 2026, an estimated 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into the tiny Spanish enclave of Ceuta in a single 24-hour window, one of the largest single-day migration surges Europe has ever recorded. While some scaled border fences, many more swam around them, and at least 140 people are believed to have died while attempting the crossing, according to NGOs. Reception centres, built for a fraction of that number, buckled almost instantly, with hundreds of new arrivals sleeping rough on the sand before Spanish authorities began processing and returning them. Madrid's response was swift, deploying around 3,000 troops alongside other measures.
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