The Ministry of the Interior said that by 13:00 on Friday, more than 25,000 of the migrants who had arrived in Ceuta in recent days had already returned to Morocco. The ministry also told AFP that the departures from Ceuta to Morocco that morning were taking place at a rate of 150 people per minute.

Spain and Morocco reinforced the border fence of a Spanish enclave on Friday and appeared to have halted mass crossings, after around 49,000 people arrived by sea and land in a single day. The report also says that more than 48,000 migrants had already returned to Morocco by Friday evening.

Nearly half of the 60,000 migrants who entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta since the early hours of Friday have already returned to Morocco, according to Spain's Interior Ministry, as cited by local media. The estimate covers the period up to 1 p.m. local time on Friday, meaning the number is expected to increase as returns continue.

Spain's Interior Ministry announced that approximately 49,000 migrants had entered the Ceuta enclave in North Africa within the last 24 hours, as they surged across both land and sea from Morocco.

On Friday, July 31, tens of thousands of Moroccans crossed the border back after having entered the day before or two days earlier, most often by swimming. More than 48,000 people had already returned to Morocco, the Spanish government announced Friday evening.

Spain and Morocco agreed on Thursday to strengthen coordination and efforts to address the migration crisis affecting Ceuta, and to review and implement measures for the handover, as soon as possible, of all those who have entered the Spanish enclave illegally. Marlaska also pledged to remain in constant contact with Morocco's Interior Minister to deepen strategic cooperation between Madrid and Rabat.

More than 48,300 of the approximately 50,000 migrants who entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta since early Thursday have returned to Morocco by Friday afternoon, Spain's Interior Ministry said, according to EFE news agency. EFE reported that the figures, compiled as of 3.30 pm local time (1330GMT), followed an earlier ministry statement that returns from Ceuta to Morocco were taking place at a rate of about 150 people per minute.

The Interior Ministry reported that it had processed around 4,000 returns, about half of the nearly 8,000 migrants who had entered Ceuta irregularly since Monday. It also said it had activated a 24-hour management system to speed up these procedures.

Thousands of migrants had irregularly entered Ceuta over the past 24 hours began returning to Morocco on Friday by the same point they used to get in, the border breakwater that separates the autonomous city from the North African country. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior confirmed the accelerated return operation through the Tarajal breakwater at a rate of 150 people per minute.

More than 48,300 of the migrants who crossed the border into the Spanish enclave had returned to Morocco by Friday afternoon but thousands more remain despite warnings from the Ceuta government that there aren’t resources in the small territory to feed or house them. Spanish officials have blamed traffickers for spreading similar misleading information, and there is a growing suspicion that Moroccan authorities initially failed to stop the crowds, intentionally allowing the surge to grow.

Spanish officials said that around 8,000 migrants reached Ceuta from Morocco on Monday and Tuesday during the May 2021 border incident.[1] By the time of reporting, Spain had repatriated about 4,000 of those individuals to Morocco under existing arrangements; this figure refers to total returns over the initial phase of the incident and not to 40,000 returns, nor to returns within a single day.[1]

Following the mass entry of nearly 8,000 migrants into Ceuta in May 2021, Spanish authorities said that approximately two‑thirds of those who had arrived were deported back to Morocco within days.[11] This indicates returns on the order of several thousand people, not more than 40,000, and the report does not state that these expulsions occurred within a single day.[11]

Spain and Morocco have reached an agreement for the urgent return of migrants who crossed the border into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Thursday. Civil Guard sources in Ceuta, however, have questioned the extent of that cooperation, saying assistance from the Moroccan Gendarmerie on the ground has been limited and insufficient.

Spain has returned nearly 48,500 people to Moroccan territory following the massive irregular entry of migrants into the autonomous city of Ceuta, as authorities deploy the armed forces and border operations accelerate. The Spanish and Moroccan governments reached an agreement on Thursday to expedite the return of migrants who entered recently. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior confirmed the accelerated return operation through the Tarajal breakwater at a rate of 150 people per minute, applying the coordinated return agreements between Madrid and Rabat.

More than 48,300 of the approximately 50,000 migrants who entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta since early Thursday have returned to Morocco by Friday afternoon, Spain's Interior Ministry said. The ministry said returns from Ceuta to Morocco were taking place at a rate of about 150 people per minute and were voluntary, according to AFP, with figures as of 1 p.m. local time putting the number who departed from Ceuta for Morocco at 25,000 earlier in the day.

During the May 2021 surge into Ceuta, Spanish officials reported that around 5,000 people crossed from Morocco into the enclave on Monday, a record for a single day.[3] Later on Tuesday, Interior Minister Fernando Grande‑Marlaska said Spain had already returned 2,700 people who had entered illegally, updating an earlier figure of 1,500 returned, but these numbers are far below 40,000 and refer to returns over roughly two days.[3]

Around 40,000 migrants have crossed in recent days from Morocco into Spain's Ceuta enclave, a police source said on Friday. The influx marks the largest arrival of migrants in Ceuta since 2021.

Coverage of the May 2021 Ceuta incident notes that about 8,000 migrants entered Spain's North African territory over two days.[13] By May 19, Spanish authorities reported that 5,600 of those migrants had already been returned to Morocco, under bilateral readmission arrangements, with the Spanish prime minister saying that those who entered unlawfully would be "immediately" returned, subject to legal exceptions.[13]

The Spanish Interior Ministry said that by 15:30 on Friday more than 37,500 migrants had been returned to Morocco after entering Ceuta irregularly during the migration crisis. The government said the returns were happening at roughly 150 people per minute.

On Friday, Spain activated its military forces following a significant influx of migrants who swam and scaled the border into Ceuta. According to Juan Jesús Vivas, the president of Ceuta, approximately 1,500 migrants had entered the territory in recent days. Spain, keen to maintain amicable relations with Morocco partly to ensure continued cooperation in curbing migrant arrivals, has minimized its criticism of the Moroccan government.

From early afternoon, thousands of people have taken to the road to return for various reasons. Mainly, due to the agreement between Spain and Morocco to repatriate them. But also because in Ceuta there are no open shops or bars that can cover their most basic needs. After having spent practically 24 hours wandering through the streets, aimlessly, or sheltering wherever they could, this Friday 48,300 Moroccans have returned to their country. Finally, the Ministry of the Interior has confirmed the dimension of the crisis: that between July 30 and 31, more than 50,000 people managed to enter the State.

A CBS News social media update on the July 2026 Ceuta crisis states that "more than 37,500" migrants have returned to Morocco after an estimated 60,000 crossed into the enclave.[19] The post does not specify that these more than 37,500 returns occurred in a single day, nor does it mention a figure of 40,000 returns; it refers broadly to returns after the mass crossings.[19]

Spain and Morocco reinforced the border fence of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Friday after tens of thousands of people arrived by land and sea in just one day. Officials estimate that more than 49,000 people crossed between Morocco and Ceuta in a 24-hour period.

Thousands of migrants who risked their lives to swim across the sea or climb border fences into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta are now voluntarily returning to Morocco, saying hunger, exhaustion, police restrictions and hostility from some residents shattered their hopes of reaching mainland Europe, news agency Reuters reported. The reversal comes after one of the largest migration surges in recent European history, when an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people crossed into Ceuta by land and sea between Thursday and Friday, overwhelming Spanish authorities. Reuters reported that more than 48,000 migrants went back within 48 hours, while the Associated Press estimated that the vast majority had left voluntarily. Grande-Marlaska defended Morocco's role, saying Rabat remained "a fully reliable partner."

Spain and Morocco announced that they would work to return people who crossed into Ceuta in recent days "as soon as possible." The report says the two countries blamed smuggling networks and agreed to speed up returns.

Some 60,000 migrants have crossed into the territory from Morocco, the local regional president Juan Jesus Vivas told reporters. Many swam around a small border barrier that juts out into the Mediterranean Sea, with 34 people dying in the attempt. By Friday afternoon, Spanish authorities said more than 48,000 migrants who had entered Ceuta since early Thursday had already returned to Morocco, following coordination between Madrid and Rabat to accelerate returns.

Spain and Morocco agreed to urgently hand over the hundreds of migrants who had entered Ceuta illegally in recent days. Both countries said they would reinforce coordination and review measures to facilitate the return, as soon as possible, of all people who had entered Ceuta illegally.

Reporting on the July 2026 events in Ceuta notes that Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez said his government was working "with Moroccan and international authorities" and preparing measures to restore normalcy after thousands swam and waded into Ceuta from Morocco in a matter of hours.[14] The article recalls that in the May 2021 crisis more than 8,000 people arrived in two days and that Spain vowed to "immediately" return those who had entered unlawfully under a cooperation agreement with Morocco, but provides no figure of 40,000 returns in a single day.[14]

By Friday afternoon, Spain said that more than 48,300 of the migrants who entered Ceuta had been returned to Morocco. The report says the government attributed the rapid pace to the coordinated operation with Morocco.

The government said that the majority of migrants who crossed into the city had already returned to Morocco, and that approximately 48,300 returns had been carried out so far.

The Wikipedia entry on the 2021 Morocco–Spain border incident states that approximately 8,000 people, including around 1,500 minors, crossed from Morocco into Ceuta during the crisis.[4] It further notes that "most of the new arrivals were returned to Morocco within a few days" and that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on the morning of May 18 that those who had arrived irregularly would be "immediately returned" under the bilateral agreement with Morocco, but it does not mention any figure near 40,000 nor returns in a single day.[4]

At 18:00 on Tuesday, Interior said it had counted nearly 8,000 arrivals and about 4,000 returns. The report also states that the Spanish government approved a 30 million euro aid package for Morocco to finance the deployment of Moroccan authorities in anti-irregular-migration activities.

Spain says 50,000 migrants who entered its North African enclave of Ceuta have returned to Morocco. Authorities say tens of thousands who crossed irregularly during the surge have gone back, many of them voluntarily, after just a short time in the enclave.

More than 37,500 people have returned to Morocco from Spain's Ceuta enclave after a recent surge of tens of thousands crossing the border, Spain's interior ministry said on Friday. The clip cites ministry figures and notes that returns are ongoing as Spain and Morocco respond to the crisis.

A RussSpain news article on the 2026 Ceuta situation claims that "around 40,000 people" crossed into the enclave within just 24 hours, describing a dramatic surge and subsequent "mass return" of migrants to Morocco.[2] The piece states that hundreds of migrants who entered irregularly in the past day are now returning to Morocco and characterizes the reversal as unprecedented, but it does not clearly document official confirmation that more than 40,000 people were returned to Morocco in a single day; instead it focuses on the crossing figure.[2]

A Reddit discussion of the 2026 Ceuta migrant crisis mentions that "Morocco facilitated their transfer" and that migrants "were transported by bus and then taken across the border," implying coordinated returns of large numbers of people from Ceuta back into Morocco.[20] The user commentary asserts that Morocco played a role in facilitating returns in the context of regional politics but does not provide verifiable figures or official documentation of 40,000 returns in a single day.[20]