Spain's National Police has submitted a report to the National Court criticising the government's handling of the mass entry into Ceuta on July 30. An estimated 72,000 migrants crossed irregularly into the autonomous city over two days, although other sources place the total as high as 100,000.
The findings were delivered on Monday by the General Commissariat for Foreign Affairs and Borders to High Court Judge Maria Tardon, who is currently conducting a secret judicial investigation into the summer border crisis.
Ceuta is a Spanish autonomous city located on the North African coast, sharing a land border with Morocco. Spain's National Court, known as the Audiencia Nacional, is a centralized judicial body in Madrid that handles cases involving high-level national security, terrorism, and cross-border organized crime.
Judge Tardon instructed police to analyze the root causes of the border breach and determine whether organized human trafficking mafias orchestrated the events. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez previously claimed that criminal networks trafficking people were behind the influx during his sole official visit to Ceuta following the incident.
The magistrate also asked the Civil Guard, the gendarmerie force responsible for border perimeter security, whether its units received warnings from Moroccan authorities or intelligence agencies, including the National Intelligence Centre.
In a radio interview with Cadena Ser on Monday, Prime Minister Sanchez repeated that Spanish secret services failed to warn the government of the scale of the crossing. He stated that intelligence agencies limited themselves to compiling routine situation reports.
Police report challenges government narrative
Police investigators submitted their conclusions after Judge Tardon returned from annual leave. Sources familiar with the matter confirmed that the document challenges the central government's official explanation of the crisis.
The government previously attributed the mass crossing to normal seasonal shifts, arguing that illegal immigration attempts naturally rise during the summer months.
However, the report from the Foreign Affairs commissariat provides a sharp critique of both the complex organization required for tens of thousands of people to enter simultaneously and the subsequent institutional response from Spanish authorities.
The investigation was conducted specifically by the Central Unit for Illegal Immigration Networks and Documentation Falsehoods, a specialized branch of the National Police known as Ucrif Central. Judge Tardon directed the unit to determine if the irregular entries on July 30 and 31 resulted from a concerted action directed by a criminal group and to identify those responsible.
Civil Guard deployment and maritime operations
In addition to the police report, Judge Tardon requested a detailed accounting from the Civil Guard regarding any advance intelligence received by its units in Ceuta in the days preceding the event.
The judge ordered the Information Headquarters of the Civil Guard to detail the operational deployment and specific measures taken by its officers stationed along the border fence during the emergency.
She also mandated a complete report on maritime rescue operations conducted by the Civil Guard in Spanish territorial waters. This includes recording the personal circumstances of rescued individuals, as well as the cause and date of death for any victims who died during the crossing.
The judge is still awaiting the official report from the Civil Guard. Within the Ministry of the Interior, officials fear the potential findings that officers may present, particularly concerning early warnings.
Intelligence warnings and social media groups
The official government stance remains that the National Intelligence Centre, known as the CNI, provided no advance warning about the magnitude of the border storming. Defence Minister Margarita Robles has been the only member of the government to defend the intelligence agency publicly, telling the Congress of Deputies that CNI officers had kept the Government Delegation in Ceuta informed.
However, intelligence sources and previous reporting indicate that the Ministry of the Interior received warnings with sufficient advance notice that a massive illegal entry was being organized. CNI sources confirmed that intelligence notes were drafted and made available to relevant officials prior to the events.
Intelligence agents had identified several active groups on the messaging service WhatsApp as early as July 22, eight days before the mass crossing began. The most active group, titled Hijma Kiraj Sebta, carried a description translated as crossing to Ceuta or death.
Social media monitoring demonstrated that online profiles and chat groups intensified their messaging in the weeks prior to July 30. These accounts actively spread information claiming that individuals could enter Spanish territory without encountering resistance.
Investigators noted that several social media profiles were registered to phone numbers from Algeria and Tunisia, pointing to a broader transnational dimension to the operation. Police and intelligence sources consulted ruled out the possibility that warnings were deliberately withheld by officers.
