HIBAPRESS – Mohammed Zerouikh
The occupied city of Melilla witnessed a remarkable surge in the number of irregular migrants arriving during the first half of 2026 (i.e., before the mass migration towards occupied Ceuta). Official data released by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior and documented by the "Frontera Sur" observatory revealed that 647 entry cases were recorded from the beginning of January until mid-September, compared to only 252 cases during the same period last year.
These figures show a sharp increase of 156.7 percent, a net increase of 395 individuals, placing Melilla at the forefront of regions that recorded the largest relative increase compared to other migration routes towards Spanish territory, which in contrast saw variations and differences in general indicators.
Regarding the methods of crossing, the vast majority of these cases were concentrated via the land route separating the city from the neighboring Nador region, with 624 cases, including only 57 arrivals during the first half of September alone, whether through attempts to collectively climb the fence or through the border crossing.
In comparison with other Spanish entry points, Melilla's share represents only about 3 percent of the total 21,906 irregular entries recorded across Spain as of mid-September. This figure, in turn, reflects a general decrease of 16.5 percent compared to 2025.
These developments on the ground come at a time when migration pressures have severely receded in some areas like the Canary Islands, while the two autonomous cities (Melilla and Ceuta) together recorded 4,700 land entries, highlighting the ongoing security challenges on Morocco's land borders with the two occupied enclaves.
