Ceuta Residents Lose Faith in Government's Ability to Prevent New Migrant Surge, Spanish Journalist Says

Residents of Ceuta, Spain's North African enclave on

Residents of Ceuta, Spain's North African enclave on the Moroccan border, are losing confidence that authorities can stop another mass influx of migrants following the late July wave that brought around 70,000 people into the city, according to Spanish journalist Javier Negre.

"The local citizens, they are really sad. And no matter if they are left or right, what they say is like, it's really complicated to live right now in Ceuta," Negre told Fox News Digital, noting that residents frequently point to crimes committed by migrants, including robberies and an attempted rape, leaving people feeling unsafe in their own streets.

The journalist argued that the current approach is unsustainable for those footing the bill. "We need in Spain, we need in Europe, governments that try to avoid the illegal immigration right now because it's not fair for the citizens that pay taxes to have social security, to have healthcare and these illegal migrants, they collapse the hospitals, they collapsed the universities, the schools, and it's not fair for the Spanish people," he said.

Negre's reporting echoes the concerns voiced by Ceuta's

Negre's reporting echoes the concerns voiced by Ceuta's mayor-president, Juan Jesús Vivas, who recently warned the European Parliament that the migrant rush endangered public safety and health, and risked overwhelming the city's infrastructure. "Furthermore, the morale of Ceuta's residents is severely affected. Our population feels sad, helpless, uneasy, fearful and worried — and with good reason," Vivas said, adding that many wonder if the next wave will push the enclave past a breaking point.

While Spain and Morocco have both ramped up border security — including maritime barriers — in response to calls on social media for another rush on Aug. 15, Negre insists these measures fall short. "I know that today the Spanish government and the Moroccan government, they say that they are going to put more police, but it's not enough," he said, stressing that taxpayers expect their money to secure the frontier against those who are not fleeing war or persecution.

Negre also criticized Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, pointing to his strained ties with Morocco and a controversial trip to Algeria just days before the July 30 incident. He suggested that Morocco's king may have used the migrant wave to send a message to Madrid, especially after Sánchez endorsed Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara — a move that angered Algeria and came amid a broader diplomatic freeze.

The journalist contrasted Europe's handling of migration…

The journalist contrasted Europe's handling of migration with former President Donald Trump's policies, praising the latter's focus on border security and deportation. "Europe is going really bad with illegal immigration, with the open frontiers, completely opposite as the politics of President Trump with border security and deporting all the illegal migrants," he said, while also backing Trump's SAVE Act on voter ID requirements. Fox News Digital reached out to the governments of Spain, Ceuta, Morocco, and Algeria for comment but did not receive an immediate response.