When Europe looks at Ceuta, it looks at itself: fortress or community?

The days of 30 and 31 July 2026 will be etched in the memory of Ceuta and in the conscience of Europe. Thousands of people crossed the border from Morocco in search of a dignified life; dozens lost their lives in the attempt; and political reactions were swift, ranging from solidarity to rejection, from responsibility to instrumentalization. But what happened in Ceuta was neither an accident nor a spontaneous phenomenon: it was the visible symptom of a deeper illness that has been lodged for years in the heart of the European Union. 

What lies behind what happened 

Let us not deceive ourselves: what happened in Ceuta was not an “accident” or a purely spontaneous event. It was, above all, the consequence of the instrumentalization of migration as a geopolitical bargaining chip. In 2010, the US political scientist Kelly M. Greenhill gave it a name in her book Weapons of Mass Migration: “migration deliberately engineered for coercive purposes.” We have seen it in Turkey, Tunisia, Libya, Belarus: migration becomes a weapon of pressure, a lever to negotiate trade, energy or security agreements. Spain, once again, finds itself on the front line of one of the most unequal borders in the world between the European Union and Africa. 

To this must be added the role of social media and certain political actors in creating and exporting a narrative of “migratory chaos” and “civilizational threat.” Fears are stoked, the debate is polarized, the complex is simplified. And meanwhile, at the heart of it all, there is the pain of concrete families, people with names and surnames, and a city, Ceuta, that lives on the front line the reality of a border that separates two radically unequal worlds. A city living through an extreme situation. 

European immigration policy: where it stands and where it is heading 

These events are the first major test of the new European Pact on Migration and Asylum, in force since June 2026. And what we are seeing is hardly an example of European solidarity. On the contrary: the dominant approach in the EU remains the externalization of borders, securitized control, detention and pushbacks. An approach that, as we have denounced from JRS Europe, “brings more death” and strengthens the criminal networks that exploit people’s desperation. 

The lack of real solidarity from some Member States is evident. Partial suspensions of Schengen, discourses of “Spain as the problem.” Meanwhile, in Spain, legislative reforms are advancing to align national law with the Pact: tightening of asylum procedures, acceleration of returns, increased border control. Measures that, unless accompanied by sufficient safeguards, can put fundamental rights at risk and turn Europe into a fortress that looks the other way in the face of human suffering. 

Another migration policy is possible 

Once again, people are dying in our seas. In just two days, more than 100 people died in Ceuta, and 35,393 have lost their lives or gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014. But another migration policy is possible. Europe needs migration, and it knows it: demographic and economic reports are clear. “Reasonable border control” is necessary, but it must be complemented by safe and legal pathways of access. Without them, we will continue to fuel the business of criminal networks and condemn thousands of people to increasingly dangerous routes. 

From a Christian and humanist perspective, we recover the four verbs that Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV have repeated time and again: welcome, protect, promote and integrate. These are not empty words: they are a political, ethical and spiritual programme. What is in crisis is not only migration management: it is a crisis of values, of compassion and of conscience in Europe. A Europe that, instead of building bridges, raises walls; that, instead of protecting life, puts it at risk in the name of security. 

Ceuta as a symbol 

Ceuta is not the problem: it is the symbol. It is the place where Europe decides what kind of project it wants to be. A fortress that defends itself from the world or a community that welcomes and protects life? A space of rights and dignity or a territory that externalizes its responsibility and looks the other way? 

The answer is not only a task for the administrations: it is a shared responsibility of the Church, of civil society and of every citizen. We cannot normalize suffering or surrender to fear. Ceuta challenges us: it asks us not to forget that, behind every figure, there is a story; behind every border, there is a person; and behind every policy, there is a decision about what kind of humanity we want to build. 

Europe stands at a crossroads. Ceuta is telling it, loudly, that it can no longer look the other way. The question is: will we listen? 

Alberto Ares Mateos, SJ
Director of Jesuit Refugee Service Europe