Feijóo Blames Government for Ceuta Crisis, Demands Immigrant Expulsions

Alberto Núñez Feijóo demanded the expulsion and return of migrants involved in confrontations during a transfer in Ceuta, saying the episode proved that “this is not immigration.” He spoke Friday, September 18, 2026, after thousands of migrants were moved from Benítez and El Trampolín beaches to the Muelle de Poniente.

The Popular Party leader said the people involved “don’t come to seek a job.” He argued that the government had lost control of public order in the Spanish city.

“These gentlemen do not come to seek a job, they come to confront constitutional public order and the State Security Forces.”

Feijóo again called for “the expulsion and return” of the migrants involved. His remarks linked the demand to confrontations during the transfer to a temporary reception facility at the port.

The comments sharpened a dispute with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government over whether Morocco had been contacted about accepting returns. First Vice President of the Government Carlos Cuerpo rejected Feijóo’s proposal as “mass deportations” and said those measures were “outside the law.”

Feijóo calls returns the only answer to a city he describes as a powder keg

Feijóo described Ceuta as “a powder keg.” He said the government had failed to maintain public order for “the last 50 days.”

The PP leader presented the incident as more than a migration-management problem. He said it threatened Spain’s “territorial integrity” and, in another statement, called the situation an “invasion.”

He said “the only solution” was “the expulsion and return of all citizens.” Feijóo cited the European Parliament and Morocco’s stated willingness to accept returns while pressing the government to act.

He also accused Sánchez’s administration of “indolence, inaction and pride.” Feijóo called its handling of Ceuta “intolerable.”

The confrontation followed a transfer from two Ceuta beaches to the port

The incidents centered on migrants gathered at Benítez and El Trampolín. Authorities transferred them toward the Muelle de Poniente, where a temporary reception facility had been established.

The operation involved thousands of migrants. Feijóo used the confrontations during that movement to draw a line between irregular migration and what he characterized as a public-order challenge.

“We have confirmed that this is not immigration.”

He added: “Immigrants do not confront the Police, immigrants try to find a job, even if they are irregular immigrants.”

Feijóo then contrasted that description with the people involved in the Ceuta incidents. His argument was that they had come to challenge constitutional order and security personnel rather than seek employment.

The government answers that Feijóo’s proposal falls outside the law

Cuerpo’s response placed the government’s objection on the legality of the proposed policy. He described the demand as “mass deportations” and said such measures were “outside the law.”

The exchange came as Sánchez faced renewed pressure over contacts with Moroccan authorities. The question was whether the government had sought arrangements for returns from Ceuta.

Feijóo’s position went beyond the migrants involved in the confrontations. He said everyone who entered irregularly should be returned, including minors, instead of being transferred to the peninsula.

That position creates a direct dispute over the treatment of migrant children. It also broadens the issue from the port transfer to the government’s wider response to arrivals in Ceuta.

Feijóo extends the demand to minors and seeks EU pressure on Morocco

Feijóo took the issue to Brussels. In Congress, he met Magnus Brunner, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, and asked the European Union to help accelerate returns.

He also attacked Sánchez over the scale of arrivals. In another intervention, Feijóo said it was “intelligent” to let “80,000 people” enter Ceuta, using that claim to criticize the prime minister’s position.

His proposal assigns a role to Morocco as well as Spain and the European institutions. Feijóo pointed to Morocco’s stated willingness to accept returns and urged action based on that position.

The government’s criticism, by contrast, focused on the proposed method. Cuerpo’s “outside the law” assessment directly challenged the feasibility of the mass-return policy Feijóo demanded.

The dispute now centers on whether the Ceuta migrants will be returned or moved to the peninsula. Feijóo has pressed for returns of all irregular entrants, including minors, while citing European Parliament support and Morocco’s stated willingness to accept them.

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.