Spanish royals make rare visit to Ceuta after migrant crisis

Key Points:

• King Felipe VI has begun a visit to Ceuta, marking the first Spanish royal visit in nearly 20 years, amid ongoing challenges following a migrant influx of around 70,000 people from Morocco in July.
• The migrant crisis, which resulted in at least 141 deaths, has raised local safety concerns, strained infrastructure, and sparked criticism of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's handling ahead of upcoming elections.
• During the visit, the King and Queen Letizia will meet local officials, visit a school, and attend an interfaith ceremony for migrants who died, with Felipe VI also scheduled to speak from Ceuta before traveling to Melilla, another Spanish exclave claimed by Morocco.
• Ceuta's local president described the situation as Spain's most serious national security crisis of the democratic era, estimating 15,000 migrants remain, though central government figures are lower, and tensions with Morocco persist over sovereignty claims.
• The opposition accuses Sánchez of weak leadership regarding Morocco and the migrant crisis, while the Spanish government denies Moroccan involvement in orchestrating the mass crossing, despite reports of Moroccan vessels entering Spanish waters during the event.