The 2026 Ceuta Crossing: Whose Responsibility?

The events surrounding the 2026 Ceuta crossing, which saw more than 70,000 people cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave over just two days, raise important questions about border governance, human rights and the future of migration policy.

Questions that are even more pertinent given that the European Union has recently begun implementing its new Pact on Migration and Asylum.

So far, public debate has focused largely on who was to blame. The Spanish government pointed to smuggling networks and to misleading social media posts about a recent Supreme Court ruling on returns; others have questioned Morocco’s role in policing its side of the border and the EU’s reliance on its neighbours to manage migration; and the images were quickly taken up in anti-immigration politics across Europe and beyond.

This event looks beyond the question of who caused the July “crisis” to ask where responsibility lies now, and for whom. What do Morocco, Spain and the EU owe to the children who made the journey alone? What part did politicians, social media platforms and the media play in how the crossing unfolded and how it was portrayed? And what would a more responsible approach to migration look like?
The event is jointly organised by Migration Oxford and the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS).

Attendance is free and open to all.
Panel:

• Dr Myriam Cherti, Senior Researcher, Global Exchange on Migration, University of Oxford
• Dr Òscar Prieto-Flores, Associate Professor of Sociology at the School of Education and Psychology, Universitat de Girona
• Dr Ruben Andersson, Professor of Social Anthropology, Oxford Department of International Development, University of Oxford

Chair: Robert McNeil, Deputy Director and Head of Media, Migration Observatory, University of Oxford