Spain’s Government Denies Receiving Intelligence on Ceuta Migrant Influx

Spain’s government in Madrid has rejected claims that it ignored advance warnings from the country’s Central Intelligence Agency about a large-scale, coordinated influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

On Monday, officials stated unequivocally that no intelligence report had been received forecasting a migration crisis of this magnitude.

Meanwhile, authorities continue efforts to shelter and process remaining migrants in Ceuta, while search operations for additional fatalities remain ongoing. According to Madrid’s Ministry of the Interior, 72 bodies have been recovered to date.

Opposition Questions Intelligence Oversight

Miguel Tejado, spokesperson for the opposition conservative People’s Party, questioned the plausibility of the Central Intelligence Agency having no prior knowledge of what he termed a “human wave” before its occurrence.

Government Stands by “Unprecedented Event” Claim

Elma Sáez, government spokesperson, maintained that “no one anticipated an event of this unprecedented nature.”

Scale and Entry Methods Remain Unclear

Last week, tens of thousands of migrants entered Ceuta irregularly from Morocco—most by swimming across the maritime border, others by scaling the six-meter-high border fence.

The exact number remains uncertain. Juan Jesús Vivas, head of the Ceuta regional government, revised his earlier estimate upward from 60,000 to 80,000 arrivals, while Madrid continues to cite a figure of 50,000.