Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has rejected claims that his government ignored warnings before roughly 72,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, telling parliament it was "absurd to think that the government knew and did nothing." The row has escalated from a humanitarian and logistical emergency into a serious political threat to Sánchez, with opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accusing him of lying and a cover-up and calling for his resignation, while tens of thousands of protesters took to Spanish streets in demonstrations partly backed by opposition parties.

Most of the migrants have since been returned to Morocco, but around 5,000, including as many as 1,400 children, remain on Ceuta's streets and beaches. A Spanish police report noted "total permissiveness" by Moroccan security forces during the crossing, though officials say it does not directly implicate Rabat, and Morocco has denied orchestrating the influx. Sánchez insisted there had been "close co-ordination" with Morocco and praised Ceuta police for prioritising human life, while the crisis has also strained ties with Italy, which imposed border restrictions on arrivals from Spain.