Ceuta’s leader says 100 died in border rush as up to 5,000 still in enclave

After migrant surge from Morocco, EU says Spain assured Schengen is safe but warns Europe’s borders are ‘vulnerable’.At least 100 people died during mass migrant crossings from Morocco into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, the city’s leader says, as thousands of undocumented people remain in the enclave.Juan Jesus Vivas, head of Ceuta’s local government, gave the death toll while testifying on Thursday before the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in Brussels.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Migrants stranded in Ceuta hope for a better futurelist 2 of 3How the far right weaponised the Ceuta crisislist 3 of 3How a social media campaign triggered huge migrant surge on Ceutaend of listHe said between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta, which he described as still reeling from the crossings last week.European Union migration commissioner Magnus Brunner told the same hearing that Spain had assured Brussels the crisis would not affect Schengen, the EU’s passport-free travel zone. But he warned Ceuta had exposed a deeper weakness: Europe’s border security depends too heavily on the cooperation of a single neighbouring country.“As long as control depends on the goodwill of one neighbouring state, we remain … vulnerable,” he said.About 72,000 migrants swam or crossed on foot from Morocco into Ceuta last Thursday and Friday, according to Spanish authorities, in one of the largest movements into EU territory in recent years.Vivas called it an “invasion” – and he noted the number of those who entered was roughly equal to the enclave’s entire population of more than 80,000.Spain’s government declined to attend the hearing; the European Commission attended in its place.Migrants wait in line to receive food and drinks from the Red Cross, following mass crossings on foot and by sea from Morocco into Spanish territory, in Ceuta, Spain, August 3, 2026 [Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters]Vivas said Ceuta’s two reception centres, for adults and unaccompanied minors, had “collapsed” under the strain, and that authorities had not disclosed the exact number of migrants still in the city due to a lack of resources.