Discovery in underground military tunnels

On Wednesday evening, 23 September, Ceuta's Fire and Rescue Service responded to a smoke column emerging from coastal cliffs near Monte Hacho. Firefighters discovered that 30 to 50 migrants had broken through walled-off entrances to inhabit an extensive network of decommissioned military tunnels in the Sarchal area. The subterranean corridors, which run approximately 500 metres inland toward the local university campus, contained discarded mattresses, clothing, inflatable rafts, and food waste. The fire consumed the occupants' belongings without causing injuries, but emergency personnel reported severely unhygienic conditions inside the unventilated shafts. After extinguishing the flames, municipal workers re-sealed the entry points, while firefighters urged police and military units to establish clear protocols to inspect and secure Ceuta's underground infrastructure.

Judicial expulsions and criminal convictions

On 24 September, Ceuta Criminal Court Number 1 ordered the five-year expulsion from Spain of 12 Moroccan nationals convicted of violent offenses. The defendants, who had remained in provisional detention after entering the enclave during the mass border crossing of 30 July, admitted their guilt in court. Under the rulings, their custodial sentences were replaced with immediate deportation and five-year entry bans. The charges included violent robberies as well as assaults against law enforcement personnel and members of the Spanish Armed Forces. In one ruling, four men received prison sentences of one year and nine months, converted into expulsions, for throwing heavy rocks at an army patrol on El Chorrillo beach on 29 August, which struck a soldier in the arm.

Moroccan arrests over online incitement

In Morocco, national security forces arrested 10 individuals accused of orchestrating digital campaigns to encourage irregular border crossings into Ceuta and Melilla. The General Directorate of National Security and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance conducted coordinated operations across eight cities, including Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez, Nador, Témara, Béni Mellal, Taza, and Taroudant. Investigators stated that the suspects published false reports and social media content designed to trigger collective migration attempts. Moroccan news outlet Le360 reported that two minors, aged 16 and 17, were among those taken into custody, though security agencies did not confirm their ages. The nationwide arrests occurred alongside Morocco's legislative elections and persistent scrutiny over border enforcement along the northern coast.

Disinformation and political debate

Public discussion surrounding Ceuta also centered on online disinformation and humanitarian priorities. Spanish public broadcaster RTVE debunked an image generated with artificial intelligence that circulated widely on social platform X, which falsely depicted two-story wooden shacks erected on El Trampolín beach. Forensic analysis confirmed the post had altered a genuine photograph taken by the EFE news agency on 6 September. Political figures voiced contrasting views on television broadcasts, with former Member of the European Parliament José Manuel García-Margallo accusing Moroccan authorities of border manipulation, while Socialist spokesperson José Muñoz called for greater attention to the living conditions of migrants. Journalist Ignacio Escolar emphasized the necessity of addressing the broader humanitarian emergency.

“Then you have a humanitarian crisis of tens of thousands of people whom a part of society calls criminals directly, and who in many cases are immigrants trying to flee to find a better life, exactly as Spaniards did throughout our history.”