Ceuta’s President Juan Jesús Vivas this Monday gave Spain’s Government 30 days to resolve the migrant crisis and threatened legal action before the Judiciary over Madrid’s alleged inaction.
In a public appearance after an extraordinary Government Council meeting, President Juan Jesús Vivas slammed the Sánchez Administration’s lack of firmness, accusing it of downplaying the severity of the events and acting permissively toward Morocco to avoid altering bilateral relations.
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Vivas announced his intention to bring the case before the courts and to meet with the highest authorities of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court, denouncing that the North African city endures a state of exception stemming from institutional abandonment and the passivity of the central Executive.
The mass influx recorded on July 30 and 31 triggered the deployment of the Spanish Army and the temporary closure of the border crossing, after tens of thousands of people crossed the demarcation on foot and by swimming. Despite the initial returns, the city -with a usual population of 80,000 inhabitants- currently shelters close to 10,000 migrants who entered during that wave, of whom almost 2,000 are unaccompanied children and adolescents.
This extreme saturation keeps care centers, healthcare infrastructure, and essential public services collapsed, alarmingly deteriorating coexistence and the well-being of Ceuta’s citizens.
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Una publicación compartida de Gobierno de Ceuta (@gobierno_de_ceuta)
Text reads: “Ceuta lives in a state of emergency and those who do not want to recognize it is because they intend to make up for reality,” President Juan Vivas explains the serious current reality of Ceuta.”
Health System Under Strain
The Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions (CESM, in Spanish) demanded that Spain’s Ministry of Health assume its responsibility and intervene urgently on the ground in the face of the severe healthcare crisis afflicting the autonomous city. Through a public statement, the union body described as insufficient the stance of Health Minister Mónica García, warning that her announced visit “in the coming weeks” will arrive late and will respond only to a propaganda stunt for the photo, while medical personnel face exhausting shifts without the necessary state support.
The medical union denounced that the deterioration of public healthcare stems from a historical structural deficit of specialists and an unsustainable workload for the active staff. This institutional precariousness worsened after the mass entry of close to 72,000 people through the border with Morocco in late July, an event that overwhelmed the capacity of the local health system and placed the population in a scenario of epidemiological vulnerability.
Added to the saturation of health centers is the alert over massive scabies outbreaks among the groups being assisted, as well as the imminent risk of spread of infectious diseases such as salmonellosis, tuberculosis, measles, and cholera.
#Ceuta | Heightened Spanish and Moroccan security prevented another mass border crossing on Aug. 15, weeks after around 80,000 people entered Ceuta.The crisis has prompted reciprocal border checks between Spain and Italy, renewing debate over free movement within the Schengen… pic.twitter.com/LrycSVIu0m
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) August 17, 2026
Faced with the lack of supplies, reinforcement personnel, and containment resources, health professionals demand concrete measures that guarantee decent working conditions for medical workers and protect the right to health of Ceuta’s families.
While the central government delays a comprehensive response, the President of the autonomous city maintains his ultimatum: 30 days for Madrid to present a solution that addresses the structural dimensions of the migration crisis -from border management to healthcare reinforcement-or the case will reach the courts.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.