At least three boats carrying illegal migrants reached the coast of Algeciras on Saturday, 5 September, marking a third consecutive day of fresh landings from the direction of Ceuta.
Police sources told Europa Sur that one vessel landed near Punta Carnero and two others reached nearby Cala Arenas, prompting a security operation around the lighthouse and surrounding roads. The arrivals followed nine migrants reaching Punta Carnero on Thursday and another six Moroccan illegal migrants being dropped there on Friday, three of whom were detained while three escaped.
Dense fog over the Strait is now providing additional cover. The Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) warned that trafficking networks were exploiting near-zero visibility to move illegal migrants out of Ceuta in fast boats. Footage published on Saturday showed dozens preparing to embark from the North African enclave under the cover of the fog.
A report by the National Police’s National Centre for Immigration and Borders (CENIF), submitted to Spain’s Audiencia Nacional, established that 148 migrants who entered Ceuta during the mass invasion of 30–31 July had subsequently reached Cádiz and Málaga aboard 29 boats by 19 August. The police report described the smuggling business as a ‘collateral consequence’ of the mass invasion, with criminal organizations already present in Ceuta exploiting the thousands of illegal migrants seeking to reach the mainland.
The Interior Ministry dismantled two such organizations on 21 August, arresting five suspects in Ceuta and La Línea de la Concepción. Police said the networks hid illegal migrants in homes and garages before moving them clandestinely to departure points, charging as much as €9,000 per person. AUGC’s Ceuta secretary, Rachid Sbuni, subsequently told El Español that current prices for the sea crossing range from €4,000 to €10,000.
While illegal migrants continue to reach mainland Spain, Pedro Sánchez’s government on Saturday escalated its confrontation with Ceuta over how to accommodate the thousands who still remain after more than 80,000 stormed the city at the end of July.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente invoked Article 73.3 of Spain’s Ports Law to authorize the temporary occupation of 16,000 square metres of the Port of Ceuta for tents and other facilities capable of housing more than 1,000 migrants. The order came after the Ceuta Port Authority rejected the proposal by 11 votes to four, with only the state representatives supporting it.
Madrid justified overriding the local decision on grounds of ‘general interest’, despite Puertos del Estado acknowledging that the facility could increase risks involving critical infrastructure, sensitive installations, and port operations.
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