‘Unpredictable, dangerous’: US issues Cueta travel advisory amid massive migrant crisis

WASHINGTON: The US Department of State on Sunday (local time) escalated its travel warning for Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave, to Level 3, almost two days after approximately 60,000 migrants entered the enclave from Morocco in a massive regional border breach.

Advising American citizens against visiting Ceuta, the State Department highlighted the escalating instability and urged individuals to “reconsider travel due to unrest.”

“The massive and uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta may lead to unpredictable and dangerous security situations. Spain has deployed the Spanish military, Spanish National Police and Guardia Civil as a result of this serious situation,” the official advisory stated.

The elevated alert is restricted to Ceuta, which abuts Morocco, while the travel advisory status for mainland Spain and its remaining territories remains unchanged. The alert was issued as Dylan Johnson, the US Assistant Secretary of State, targeted Spain’s centre-left coalition administration over what he termed an inability to safeguard national frontiers.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Johnson stated, “This invasion is the direct result of the Spanish government’s refusal to secure its borders and defend its people, and now threatens the security of Europe.”

Security Alert:  The arrival of thousands of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta and hundreds to Melilla in the past 24 hours may lead to unpredictable and dangerous situations. Spain has deployed the Spanish military to contain the developing situation, together… pic.twitter.com/X0j74vvZ3U

— U.S. Embassy Madrid (@USembassyMadrid) July 31, 2026

Roughly 60,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave on Friday by negotiating maritime boundaries and scaling perimeter fences, swamping local emergency services and prompting a heavy security mobilisation. Migrant testimonies published by The New York Times and the Financial Times revealed that social media channels served as a primary mechanism for organising the group crossing.

Numerous individuals had spent weeks making preparations for the maritime entry attempt. The sudden influx was fuelled by shrinking employment options in Morocco and confusion surrounding legal protections against immediate maritime deportation following a recent Spanish Supreme Court verdict.

Media reports also indicated that Moroccan border forces took minimal action to deter individuals from advancing towards the Ceuta frontier. The entry attempt resulted in dozens of migrant fatalities, while thousands of others were either detained or sent back by Spanish security personnel.

Addressing the crisis, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that Spain would strengthen border forces in Ceuta, construct a physical maritime barrier to streamline deportations and maintain working ties with Moroccan officials to break up smuggling rings, Fox News Digital reported.

The border influx has stretched Ceuta’s infrastructure to its limits and re-energised the wider European political discourse around migration management, a focal point for rising right-wing political movements across the continent. (ANI)