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WRAP: Spain says huge surge across border into Ceuta has reversed, half of migrants go back

VIDEO SHOWS: WRAP OF EDITS RELATED TO MIGRANTS CROSSING FROM MOROCCO INTO SPAIN'S CEUTA ON JULY 30 AND 31

EDITOR'S NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS NO NEW MATERIAL. EDIT NUMBERS ARE INCLUDED IN THE SHOTLIST.

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: Crowds of migrants reached the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday (July 30), some swimming ashore and then crossing the border on foot, as military and law enforcement officers were deployed along the coast and roads. (2218-MIGRATION-EUROPE/SPAIN-CEUTA-EVENING)

CEUTA, SPAIN (JULY 30, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF SCORES OF MIGRANTS APPROACHING SPANISH SHORE, CLIMBING ONTO LAND

2. CROWD OF MIGRANTS CROSSING BORDER

3. VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS WALKING ON BRIDGE

4. MOROCCAN MIGRANT, SAID (LAST NAME NOT GIVEN), AND OTHER PEOPLE LOOKING ON

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MOROCCAN MIGRANT, SAID (LAST NAME NOT GIVEN), SAYING:

"I crossed through the sand at the beginning of Castillejos, then climbed over a wall belonging to the Moroccan police. Then I entered across the border by swimming. Well, I swam about 200 metres in the sea, and that's all."

6. MILITARY ON THE ROAD

7. CIVIL GUARD WEARING RIOT-CONTROL GEAR

8. LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN THE DISTANCE

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL RESIDENT, JOSE, SAYING:

"It's a disgrace, honestly. The only solution I see is for Spain to do what Donald Trump does and start deporting people."

10. NAVY BOATS NEAR SHORE

Thousands of migrants streamed into the Moroccan town of Fnideq near the border with Ceuta early on Friday (July 31), despite a reinforced deployment of security. (2269-MIGRATION-EUROPE/MOROCCO-SPAIN-UPDATE)

FNIDEQ, MOROCCO (JULY 31, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all) (NIGHT SHOTS)

11. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CLIMBING MOUNTAIN

12. PEOPLE WALKING ON MOUNTAIN

13. PEOPLE WALKING ON ROAD

14. BURNING VEHICLES

15. PEOPLE GATHERING AROUND AND WALKING NEAR TORCHED VEHICLES

16. BURNING VEHICLE

17. PEOPLE WALKING NEAR AND GATHERING AROUND BURNING VEHICLES

Eyewitness footage obtained by Reuters on Friday showed people watching from the Moroccan streets of Beni Ansar as what appeared to be migrants jumped from the top of a wall structure near the port while flares burned nearby.

Reuters was able to confirm the location from buildings, the screen, road curb, and road layout which matched with satellite images. The date was not verified, but no older footage was posted online before July 31. Corroborating footage showed people gathering and police presence in the area. (2278-MIGRATION-EUROPE/SPAIN-MOROCCO-UGC)

BENI ANSAR, MOROCCO (RELEASED JULY 31, 2026) (ORIGINALLY FILMED IN PORTRAIT) (SOCIAL MEDIA - No resales/ No archive/ News use only) (NIGHT SHOTS)

18. FLARES BURNING, PEOPLE JUMPING OFF TOP OF WALL STRUCTURE / PEOPLE GATHERED ON STREET LOOKING

Thick black smoke plumed in the distance on Friday as people moved through the streets of Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, a day after thousands of migrants surged into the territory by sea and land from Morocco. (2271-MIGRATION-EUROPE/SPAIN-CEUTA-MORNING)

CEUTA, SPAIN (JULY 31, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

19. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING UP SLOPE NEAR TARAJAL BORDER CROSSING

20. PEOPLE WALKING NEAR TARAJAL BORDER / PLUMES OF SMOKE RISING IN THE BACKGROUND / YOUTH RUNNING UP SLOPE, CHANTING (Spanish): “Long live Spain, not Morocco, long live Spain!”

Spain sent military and police reinforcements to Ceuta as migrants crossed by sea and land into the Spanish enclave. (2275-MIGRATION-EUROPE/SPAIN-CEUTA-MORNING)

CEUTA, SPAIN (JULY 31, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

21. SPANISH MILITARY NEAR BORDER CROSSING DIRECTING MIGRANTS WHO ARRIVED BY SEA

22. ARMOURED VEHICLES STATIONED NEAR BORDER CROSSING

23. SPANISH MILITARY NEAR BORDER CROSSING DIRECTING MIGRANTS WHO ARRIVED BY SEA WHERE TO GO

24. VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS WALKING AROUND BORDER FENCE

25. CROWD OF MIGRANTS WALKING THROUGH BORDER CROSSING BETWEEN MILITARY VEHICLES

26. PEOPLE SWIMMING IN SEA

27. PEOPLE CLIMBING FROM SEA ONTO ROCKS AND BEACH WITH BORDER FENCE

28. MAN ARRIVING AND KISSING GROUND ON BEACH

29. MAN WALKING BY AND SHOWING TWO THUMBS UP

Spain and Morocco reinforced the border fence of a Spanish enclave on Friday and appeared to have halted mass crossings, after tens of thousands of people arrived by sea and land in a single day, with at least 19 dead bodies found in the water.

A migrant from Tangier, Reda, said the crossing was not a good experience. He was returning and appealed to others not to attempt the crossing. (2302-MIGRATION-EUROPE/SPAIN-CEUTA-RETURN)

CEUTA, SPAIN (JULY 31, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

30. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CLIMBING ROCKS AND GOING BACK INTO THE SEA TO GET AROUND BORDER FENCE

31. PEOPLE HELPING EACH OTHER CRAWL THROUGH HOLE IN FENCE

32. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MIGRANT FROM TANGIER RETURNING TO MOROCCO, REDA (LAST NAME NOT GIVEN), SAYING:

"To be honest, I don’t even know why I’ve come. I’m heading back now. It's that simple. Let God’s will be done. (REPORTER ASKING: "You spent the evening away, did you eat, have dinner?") No, I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday. Although I did bring some money with me."

Authorities transferred the body of one of the victims of the mass crossing into Ceuta from Morocco on Friday. (2321-MIGRATION-EUROPE/SPAIN-CEUTA-VICTIM)

CEUTA, SPAIN (JULY 31, 2026) (FARO TV - No use Spain)

33. CIVIL GUARD OFFICER AND FUNERAL HOME WORKER TRANSFERRING VICTIM INTO HEARSE

Migrants ran into Spain's Ceuta through the Tarajal Border Crossing on Friday after tens of thousands of people arrived by sea and land in a day. (2326-MIGRATION-EUROPE/SPAIN-MOROCCO-MOMENT)

CEUTA, SPAIN (JULY 31, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

34. MIGRANTS RUNNING IN SPAIN'S CEUTA AFTER CROSSING THROUGH TARAJAL BORDER CROSSING

Moroccan and Spanish coastal guards intercepted migrants at sea off the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, as seen from Morocco's Fnideq.

Around 60,000 people were estimated to have crossed into Ceuta in the past few days, the leader of the Spanish enclave in North Africa, Juan Jesus Vivas, told reporters on Friday, more than half of Ceuta's population. (2333-MIGRATION-EUROPE/MOROCCO-SPAIN-MORE)

FNIDEQ, MOROCCO (JULY 31, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

35. SPANISH AND MOROCCAN COAST GUARDS VESSELS PATROLLING IN THE SEA

36. PEOPLE SWIMMING IN SEA

37. SPANISH COAST GUARD VESSEL

38. PEOPLE SWIMMING IN SEA

39. SPANISH COAST GUARD VESSEL PATROLLING / PEOPLE SWIMMING IN WATER

40. SPANISH COAST GUARD VESSELS

41. SPANISH AND MOROCCAN COAST GUARDS VESSELS

The mass crossings of tens of thousands of people from Morocco into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta were a "violation of Spain's territorial sovereignty," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told reporters on Friday. (2344-MIGRATION-EUROPE/SPAIN-CEUTA-SANCHEZ)

CEUTA, SPAIN (JULY 31, 2026) (SPANISH GOVERNMENT TV - Access all)

42. SPAIN’S PRIME MINISTER, PEDRO SANCHEZ, ARRIVING AT PRESS CONFERENCE

43. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPANISH PRIME MINISTER, PEDRO SANCHEZ, SAYING:

"To describe what happened yesterday as an attack, a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity. Ceuta is a Spanish city and what happened yesterday deserves our strongest reproach and our firmest condemnation."

44. WHITE FLASH

45. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPANISH PRIME MINISTER, PEDRO SANCHEZ, SAYING:

"What we are doing is speeding up everything related to the processing of cases and the repatriation of migrants who have entered irregularly, mainly since yesterday. As you can see, many of these migrants are already leaving."

The European Union is in touch with Moroccan authorities to resolve the crisis regarding the huge numbers of migrants who crossed over into Ceuta, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. (2351-EUROPE-MIGRATION/SPAIN-CEUTA-EU)

INTERNET (JULY 31, 2026) (SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - Access all)

46. SCREEN GRAB OF EU COMMISSION PRESIDENT, URSULA VON DER LEYEN'S POST ON X READING (English):

"The images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable. We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules. Dangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow. I tasked two Commissioners to support to control the situation.

@magnusbrunner (EU Internal Affairs and Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner) is already working closely with Spain and is ready to travel to critical points. He will work on additional operational support to Spain, including through Frontex.

@dubravkasuica (EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica) is in contact with her Moroccan counterpart.

I am confident that our close partnership with Morocco will help deliver concrete results".