# ‘I’m determined to get to mainland Europe and, if I fail, I’ll die here trying’: Special dispatch from IAN GALLAGHER in Ceuta

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/im-determined-to-get-to-mainland-europe-and-if-i-fail-ill-die-here-trying-special-dispatch-from-ian-gallagher-in-ceuta/
- Published: 2026-08-02T21:33:36+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-25T18:10:02+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16023455/Ceuta-migrants-Spain-mainland-Europe-IAN-GALLAGHER.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Europe, World

## Key points

- Thousands of migrants remain camped in Ceuta despite mass returns to Morocco.
- Spain's residency scheme, drawing 1.2m claims, fuelled the record border surge.
- Migrants describe worsening conditions as authorities halt food and water aid.

## Summary

Thousands of migrants remain camped on a hillside in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, refusing to leave despite most of the estimated 60,000 people who crossed the border from Morocco last week having already returned, citing hunger and exhaustion. The mass crossing, described as the largest illegal border entry in EU history, was partly driven by Spain's residency regularisation scheme announced by prime minister Pedro Sánchez, which drew far more applicants than expected and convinced migrants such as Ethiopian Yared Teka that Spain represented a genuine opportunity to reach mainland Europe.

Those still camped say conditions have worsened, with authorities no longer distributing food or water to those outside Ceuta's immigration centre, which houses 600 people with access to supplies. Migrants interviewed, including Teka, a Palestinian man who previously lived in Germany, and a young man from Cameroon, described desperation and determination in equal measure, noting that although mainland Spain lies just 20km away, Ceuta's exclusion from the Schengen area makes the crossing far harder than the distance suggests. Spain's original residency scheme anticipated 500,000 claims but registered 1.2 million before closing in June, while Spanish authorities have also erected a 1,600ft barrier along a stretch of coastline used during the crossings.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.