Ceuta migrant transfer descends into chaos as police fire warning shots
A mass transfer of migrants in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta descended into chaos on Friday, with police firing warning shots into the air as crowds surged towards a new temporary camp.
About 150 officers were deployed to move thousands of migrants from the Benítez and El Trampolín beaches to reception facilities at the port. The operation began around 7am but quickly deteriorated when crowds surged towards the designated route. Several people were injured.
The new facilities can accommodate about 1,700 people, leaving thousands without places. Those unable to enter subsequently returned to the beaches, where makeshift camps have re-emerged.
The scenes have intensified political pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government, with opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accusing the administration of failing to maintain order.
“The Government is incapable of maintaining public order in a Spanish city.
Chaos in Ceuta last night as illegal migrants were being moved from one camp to another.
The Spanish government lied when it said in early August that practically all of the migrants had returned to Morocco.
There are still thousands and thousands left. pic.twitter.com/ZNo0LPPg5v
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) September 18, 2026
“Things couldn’t get any worse, and Ceuta is a powder keg.
“We’ve been saying this for some time now, and the situation is unsustainable.”
The government defended the operation as unusually difficult, while accusing Feijóo of irresponsibility.
The confrontation came amid separate claims from Vox politician Carlos Flores that two Spanish soldiers had been evacuated from Ceuta after allegedly suffering injuries in clashes with migrants. Those claims have been reported by other outlets, while Spain’s Defence Ministry has not disclosed the severity of the soldiers’ injuries or confirmed the circumstances alleged.
Tense scenes erupt on the beaches of Ceuta as Spanish police move hundreds of migrants toward temporary facilities at the city's port.
Footage shows crowds rushing for limited spaces as officers block the surge and fire riot-control munitions into the air before restoring order.… pic.twitter.com/N6xlY97tnD
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 18, 2026
Flores told GB News: “The situation has been out of control from the very beginning.
“The Government has lost control over a portion of our national territory. We are seeing as we are being invaded; we are watching the invasion of our territory on our own TV sets.”
The episode leaves Ceuta confronting a stark capacity problem: even after a major new reception site was opened, thousands remain without accommodation, underscoring the scale of the migration pressure facing the enclave.
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