MADRID, September 10 — Spain’s National Intelligence Center issued multiple warnings before a mass crossing of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in late July, according to a batch of declassified documents released by the Spanish government on Wednesday, September 9. The release, which the government said comprises forty declassified documents, includes alerts, intelligence reports, charts and communications from multiple law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Taken together, the record appears to undermine statements by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez about the level of prior warning his government had before the influx.
What the documents show
On July 29, a day before more than 72,000 people began entering Ceuta, the CNI sent a WhatsApp alert to the Spanish government’s delegation in Ceuta warning of social media calls “for an assault on the fence and by sea tomorrow at 8 p.m.” The message noted two different groups with a total of 180,000 followers were involved.
That same day, a CNI report sent to Moroccan intelligence services warned of plans on social media for migrants to enter Ceuta on July 30 by climbing the border fence separating the exclave from Morocco or by swimming around it. The report mentioned that migrants might take advantage of Morocco’s national Throne Day, celebrated on July 30.
Also on July 29, the CNI issued similar warnings about “several groups on Facebook and WhatsApp encouraging these attempts” in messages to Spain’s Civil Guard police force. Once thousands of people were streaming across the border on July 30, a Defense Ministry intelligence report issued that day stated that Moroccan forces were passive and acted negligently to stop migrants. The report added: “It cannot be ruled out that Morocco may attempt to exploit the situation that has arisen in Ceuta to further its strategic interests.”
Madrid’s position, and Rabat’s silence
Morocco’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press about the documents. On Wednesday, September 9, Sánchez rejected the idea that the declassified documents revealed prior warning about a border crisis of the scale that took place between July 30 and 31, 2026. The migrant arrivals have sparked major protests in Spain, with critics blaming the Sánchez government for its handling of the crisis and political opponents accusing him of pandering to Morocco.
What happens next turns on two things: whether Rabat answers the questions the documents raise about the conduct of its forces on July 30, and whether the Spanish parliament presses the government further on what it knew, and when.
