Spain's ombudsman opens an own-initiative inquiry into the humanitarian situation in Ceuta after more than 70,000 people crossed the El Tarajal border on 30-31 July

On 13 August 2026 Spain's national ombudsman, the Defensor del Pueblo, announced an own-initiative inquiry (actuacion de oficio) into the measures taken and still pending to respond, in a coordinated way, to the humanitarian crisis in the autonomous city of Ceuta after more than 70,000 people crossed the El Tarajal border irregularly on 30 and 31 July. The institution wrote to the State Secretariat for Migration, the city of Ceuta, the Attorney General's Office and the Government Delegation in Ceuta.