Children in Ceuta went back to school today, but what should be an exciting return for young students was clouded by fear.
As the Spanish enclave in North Africa continues to struggle with a mass migration crisis, soldiers and police were deployed today to guard classrooms, while worried parents packed pepper spray in their children's backpacks.
Meanwhile, teachers have reported seeing homeless migrants defecating outside classrooms.
It has been 40 days since 70,000 North African migrants stormed Ceuta's beaches, quickly sparking a humanitarian crisis in the Spanish territory.
Although most of those who entered Ceuta have now returned to Morocco, between 3,500 and 7,000 remain, with many sleeping on beaches and playgrounds.
Parents say they fear for their children's lives amid almost daily reports of violence, including attacks against the military and dozens of sexual assaults.
One teacher complained about the number of migrants living outside school gates.
'They defecate and urinate in front of the school, and the smell is nauseating. They eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the school gates and leave the remains there,' she told news outlet Libertad Digital.
Migrants sleep rough along a street in Ceuta, Spain, 04 September 2026
A group of North African men set up camp along a street in Ceuta on September 4
Pictured: Migrants on Ceuta's Trampoline beach, where make-shift tents have sprung up
'It's very difficult to tell parents to bring their children to school without worry when even we teachers aren't sure about anything.'
A video shared by the school teacher showed a man crouching down behind a bush outside a classroom window.
But despite increased security measures, some parents believe these efforts aren't enough and are taking measures into their own hands.
Mother-of-four Miriam Fedal told Spanish broadcaster Antena 3 that she had sent her daughters to school with pepper spray in their backpacks, and said that supplies in the enclave had 'run out.'
'No measures are being taken; the laws are not being enforced,' Fedal told the broadcaster, adding: 'We have no other option.
'We're scared; we feel unsafe. Every day is worse.'
She added that if it were up to her, she wouldn't send her children to school altogether, but said she has to so that she can go to work.
'There will be families who can afford not to send their children, but those of us who work have to,' Fedal said.
'When you drop your daughter off at school and go to work, who can guarantee that what happened on July 30th won't happen again, that we won't be invaded again? How are we supposed to go to the school to pick up our children?', she added.
Parents today also expressed their disappointment at the conditions in which their children are having to go to school, with one parent telling EFE news agency: 'This is not normal.'
'They took our beaches, our summer...but they can't also take our education,' another parent complained.
Others condemned the lack of police presence in certain school areas, with one mother telling EFE: 'Didn't they say security was going to be increased? Well, there's nothing to be seen here.'
Meanwhile, the Government of Ceuta has postponed the start of state-owned nurseries, with the start date now set for September 28.
It comes as the leader of Ceuta on Tuesday demanded more EU help for the 'pressure cooker' territory after the massive migrant rush into the region.
'The city is completely different than it was before this event; Ceutans have lost their joy and their lifestyles have been completely shaken up,' local regional president Juan Jesus Vivas told lawmakers in the European Parliament.
'Ceuta is currently a pressure cooker which can explode at any minute. This is an unsustainable situation.'
Vivas said he wanted the EU's border agency Frontex to set up a permanent representation in Ceuta and for Brussels to pay to help bolster border infrastructure.
The Spanish government has already requested emergency assistance from the EU after the summer crisis.
Brussels said Tuesday that it was working on the request and that EU migration chief Magnus Brunner was due to meet Vivas and Spain's foreign minister.
Vivas meanwhile lashed out at Morocco, saying the incident 'was possible due to the complicity of Morocco or the consent of Morocco'.
Spain's top criminal court on Monday opened an investigation into the deadly rush, alleging it was facilitated by Morocco and pointing to failings by the African country's police.
Last week, tens of thousands of people across Spain took to the streets to protest the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ceuta.
Demonstrators demanded solutions as they blamed socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for his government's handling of it.
Troops in military vehicles have been deployed on the streets of the Spanish enclave
Since July 30, at the beginning of what locals in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, on the tip of Morocco, refer to as 'the invasion', hordes of migrants have made the beach their home
Migrants who crossed from Morocco into Spain, some of them minors, gather at the El Principe Alfonso sports center in Ceuta, Spain
Residents of Ceuta who have had their world turned upside down in the past five weeks have protest against the Spanish government's feeble attempts to secure its borders
A migrant holds up a dolphin calf after allegedly hitting it over the head with a stick
A line of migrants – almost exclusively young men – wait for handouts of food and water, as authorities in Ceuta work out what to do with them next, a process that could take months
In Madrid, authorities said some 50,000 protesters turned out, while there were significant turnouts also in Barcelona, Valencia and Seville.
Waving Spanish flags, demonstrators shouted 'A united Ceuta will never be defeated,' 'Sánchez to prison' and 'Invaders — go home!' referring to the thousands of migrants still in the city.
Difficult questions likewise linger over what caused the mass crossing that the government says was fueled by an online campaign on social media.
The sudden influx of tens of thousands of migrants into Ceuta, which has a population of about 84,000, put a huge strain on resources and angered many residents.
Local authorities said that Spain's central government ignored warning signs before the border was breached.
'What happened to us was not a migratory crisis,' Ceuta's regional leader, Juan Jesús Vivas, said during an institutional act last week.
'What happened was the violation of Spain's territorial integrity.'
The government has denied claims that it has left Ceuta behind.
Last week, it earmarked 309million euros, or £266million, to aid the city's social services, with special attention to housing migrants, its economy and security.
Many in Spain have asked if Morocco's government could have done more to prevent the frontier breakthrough.
Migrants reach Spanish territory after swimming from Morocco to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, 30 July 2026
Migrants reach the shore after swimming from Morocco to Ceuta on July 30
Sanchez, however, has repeatedly defended the Moroccan authorities, saying they were swift to help in the return of most of the migrants.
Last week, the Spanish leader alleged — without presenting any evidence — that other countries had amplified disinformation related to the crisis.
'There is no information from any of our intelligence services that points to the participation of Moroccan authorities,' Sánchez told Cadena Ser radio.
Sánchez, who faces an election next year, said that a misinterpretation of a Supreme Court ruling and disinformation spread on social media encouraged people to rush the border.
Many migrants, including unaccompanied minors, remain sleeping in the streets and camped on a beach despite authorities' efforts to shelter, register and deport those who are eligible back to Morocco.
Vivas, Ceuta's leading official, said that the focus should be on getting the autonomous city back to 'normality,' as he vowed to continue to pursue the 'truth' behind the crisis.
He urged Spain's central government to reinforce and strengthen the border with Morocco instead of depending on cooperation with its neighbour.
'If we don't do this, there will always be someone tempted to use migration as a tool for political ends,' Vivas said.