Some 72,000 migrants reached the Spanish Ceuta within days, and the crisis cost at least 67 lives. Radosław Sikorski sees a similarity to the force on the Polish border with Belarus. The convergence is simply a serious warning, but it does not replace evidence of political control of events by Morocco.
Tens of thousands of people on the Ceuta border
Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa, found herself under violent migratory pressure. According to data provided by the Spanish Home Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the border exceeded about 72,000 people. Most then returned to Morocco, but a temporary breakdown of control was adequate to trigger a humanitarian and political crisis.
The balance is tragic. The Spanish government reported at least 67 fatalities on Saturday. any people were drowned, others died in close proximity while trying to defeat the border infrastructure. The tragedy must be spoken of with respect. People seeking their way to Europe cannot be treated as a nameless mass, even if the state has the full right to defend its border.
Spain reacted by strengthening protection. A 500-metre-long barrier was installed on the sea section of the border, and Madrid agreed with Rabat to accelerate the return of those who entered Ceuta illegally. The European Commission has offered Frontex support. These actions show a simple dependence: erstwhile control at the external border weakens, declarations of a common European policy immediately collide with reality.
Sikorski compares Ceuta with Polish border
Radosław Sikorski drew attention to the similarity between the events in Ceuta and the migration force against Poland by the Minsk regime. In both cases, a large number of people shortly moved to the external border of the European Union. In both, the border crisis immediately became a tool of political force and a origin of controversy within Europe.
This concludes the facts that let for a comparison. In the case of Belarus, the Polish authorities published papers describing the state organisation of the route: invitations, residence permits and reservations at the state-controlled hotel in Minsk. The Ministry of abroad Affairs consistently defines this mechanics as an artificially created migration way and part of hybrid activities. In the case of Ceuta, no comparable evidence has yet been presented that would let it to be reasonably stated that Rabat had planned a massive crossing of the border.
On the another hand, it is known that the relations between Spain and Morocco have been affecting the tightness of the border for years. In 2021 thousands of people entered Ceuta after weakening Moroccan control. This gives emergence to hard questions about the work of the authorities and the effectiveness of cooperation, but the answers must be based on evidence. The fact is stronger than an awesome accusation.
The state boundary must not depend on the goodwill of the neighbour
The lesson from Ceuta is clear to Poland. The State cannot base border safety on the presumption that the transit country always stops traffic on its side. You request your own services, infrastructure, designation and law to respond quickly. European support can help, but work for the safety of Poles must not be given to Brussels.
Polish data shows that decisive measures work. The Ministry of abroad Affairs stated that from January to the end of May 2026 Border defender noted 215 attempts to illegally cross the border with Belarus, by 98% little than in the same period of 2025. The hotel combines this decline with, inter alia, the buffer region and the temporary limitation of the anticipation of submitting applications for global protection on this section of the border.
Sovereignty requires control and responsibility
Europe will not solve the problem by shifting people between countries and distributing costs according to the decision of the EU institutions. First, external borders must be protected, smuggling networks broken up and return agreements made effective. Humanitarian aid must go hand in hand with a clear message that illegal border crossing does not give automatic right to remain.
For Poland, citizens' safety, public spending and freedom of independent improvement of migration policy are at stake. The Ceuta recalls how rapidly the border can become a focus. The proposal does not require ideological disputes: a state that does not control its own territory loses part of sovereignty just erstwhile it needs it most.
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