AIBU to be deeply concerned about the recent influx of 30k+ undocumented arrivals in Spain?

[ChirpyUmberBiscuit]

AIBU to feel really unsettled by the recent news coming out of Spain and Ceuta? Reports are showing that tens of thousands of undocumented migrants have crossed over in such a short window, completely overwhelming local infrastructure, reception centers, and security forces.

I know migration is always a sensitive and compassionate topic, but looking at these numbers practically, I don't see how any European border region can absorb 30,000 to 50,000 arrivals almost overnight without severe strain on public resources, local housing, and emergency services.

What worries me even more is the precedent it sets for the rest of Europe and the UK down the line. Surely there has to be a firm balance between humanitarian support and actual, enforceable border control?

Am I being completely unreasonable to view this as a serious policy and security crisis, or are others feeling equally concerned about where this leads?

Would love to hear honest thoughts on how this should actually be handled!

I think some of that has some validity by a bit of a stretch, the reality is that people that really have no time for UK values, dont come here, they stay in the ME or other African countries, they have no interest in living in this society

People also dont have to say they like the UK to seek asylum, asylum is sought on the basis of the person being at risk in their home country, so no one has to say the 'right things' as its implied here that they love the UK and all our ways.

I think many do have a genuine shock about what is expected of men in particular, culture about equality in terms of sex, not ethnicity. When there is a view given about tolerance from an incomer, what they mean is tolerance for them to thrive, progress, get jobs etc, its not about sex equality or sexuality tolerance and that can come as a bit of a surprise to them.

As the pp above has said, they come here because we are more “tolerant”. That’s basically it. They know they will be welcomed with open arms

You definitely need a duvet day to go and inform yourself properly. Ceuta is in Africa and not in the European continent. The OP is blowing this out of proportion. These immigrants haven't left Africa ffs.

“I think some of that has some validity by a bit of a stretch, the reality is that people that really have no time for UK values, dont come here, they stay in the ME or other African countries, they have no interest in living in this society”

Yet they want to come here… with little to no interest in integrating into our culture because they have no interest in it. But they want to come here because we are “tolerant”.

”People also dont have to say they like the UK to seek asylum, asylum is sought on the basis of the person being at risk in their home country, so no one has to say the 'right things' as its implied here that they love the UK and all our ways.”

No they don’t have to say they like England but a lot of the reasons you’re giving aren’t much of an excuse for them being here. They have passed through multiple safe countries to get here and risked their lives crossing the channel.
I’ve watched various people interviewing them asking why they came to England and it’s almost always the same generic answer “We like England”, “We love England”, “England good” and you can just tell they’re being false, it’s not coming from their heart for a lot of them.

Perhaps they should have already known the language of they are full time residents. There's also plenty of free classes and material online.

Im not here to give 'excuses' for people being here. There are strict categories of asylum application, but you can choose to seek asylum in any country you choose, that is the law, you dont have to claim asylum in the first country you come to

Most asylum seekers world wide dont come here, dont even want to come here.

Im just giving feedback on my knowledge from working with asylum seekers for those particular people

People being interviewed are as much of a representation as any group or gaggle of people being interviewed with simple soundbites

Again. Ceuta is part of Spain. Geographically it it on the continent of Africa. Just like geographically the Canaries are FAR from mainland Spain, and closer to Africa.
Both Spain.
Ceuta has never been part of Morroco. The population is Spanish, and wish to be Spanish.
The 50k men breached the border of Spain.
It’s bog all to do with “colonisation” unless we are going back to the Romans..?
I wish people would not turn everything into a game of Opressed and Oppressor. The world actually is more nuanced than that.

Well thank you. I appreciate your level headed responses throughout this thread and your ability to see both sides of the argument. But from what you’ve said, it pretty much has confirmed what many of us on this thread have been saying. That they don’t care about our culture or integrating and that they come here because we are “tolerant” and the likes of the woke left, the greens, along with the Antifa and Stand Up to Racism mob bleating “say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here” will always defend them no matter what horrific crimes they commit. You have further confirmed that by saying they can claim asylum in any country they choose, that’s very true… but there are thousands queuing up to come here over the channel and paying high sums of money to do so. Many may not come to the the UK but there is a reason why a huge majority of them who choose to come to the UK go to such lengths to do so.

As you can see, Ceuta didn’t welcome them with open arms. A lot of them have gone back now, even though they went to great lengths to get there, some even dying in the process…. But they didn’t get the welcome they wanted.

They dont come because of that reason though?

Given the vast majority of asylum seekers in the world do not come to the UK, how is this relevant.

Our empire and colonies were wide spread, so it stands to reason that many countries throughout the world had some sort of British link (even if tenuous), it doesnt mean people choose the UK simply because of the empire.

People also dont have to say they like the UK to seek asylum, asylum is sought on the basis of the person being at risk in their home country, so no one has to say the 'right things' as its implied here that they love the UK and all our ways

I don't think many here are thinking of a professed love of the UK being one of the "right things to say", likelysuspect, and certainly it's not been included on the coaching notes I've seen handed out by migrant supporters

The suggested claims on those were more along the lines of "my father's been shot, my sister raped and my brother chucked down a well", though I'm told that insisting they've been persecuted for being gay has fallen out of favour since many don't even want to pretend that

Who provided the thousands of rubber rings? It must have been a plan organised some time in advance.

Yes, that occurred to me too. All these buoyancy aids suddenly appeared?

And mostly identical too. It was obviously an orchestrated event.

By the way, what most of the papers don’t say in their headlines is that 48300 of them voluntarily returned to Morocco on Friday.

Good. Shows you can deport someone back to their homeland

net immigration is down:

…

https://www.google.com/search?q=small+boat+and+asylum+seekers+down&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#lfId=ChxjMe

Morocco allowing these numbers through the border is due to a diplomatic crisis between Spain and Morocco involving Algeria. A little bit like France allowing more refugees (or turning a blind eye) due to the UK leaving the EU…

It's been reported everywhere...on the news and in the papers. Who counted them BTW ?

The same who counted them arriving… if it has been reported far and wide, why are you questioning it? It appears that people on this thread are not aware of the fact that most of them have already returned so it cannot have been headline news…

What's got up your nose? It's common knowledge that many have returned. How many exactly could be disputed.

I'm becoming increasingly concerned about illegal immigration and the lack of certainty around who is entering the country. We don't always know people's backgrounds, and when stories emerge involving violence or serious criminal allegations, it's understandable that many people feel worried about public safety.
I believe it's important to have secure borders, thorough background checks, and an asylum system that is fair but also protects the public. At the same time, people who are granted the right to stay should respect UK laws, values and culture, and be willing to integrate into society. This is an issue that needs sensible, balanced discussion rather than being ignored.

I made several posts on another thread about this trying to give some perspective from Spain. Largely fell on deaf ears as people were very keen to use the events of the past few days as a way to whip up fear and make pejorative comments about President Sanchéz, Spain and of course, migrants.

I encourage everyone on this thread to read the following information that has been provided by our Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación, also even in English. It provides proper insight into the situation, saves a lot of time on explaining basic things like where Ceuta actually is and that we are not simply handing out residencies.

https://www.exteriores.gob.es/en/Comunicacion/Exteriores-explica/Paginas/2026Articulos/Ceuta,-Melilla.aspx

Further, for those worried about the Regularización Extraordinaria that recently took place.

First of all, here is the link to the Informative Notes on the procedure. It is in Spanish. You will see if you read it that it is not simply "be here, collect residency".

https://www.inclusion.gob.es/web/migraciones/w/28-ter.-autorizacion-de-residencia-por-circunstancias-excepcionales-por-razon-de-arraigo-extraordinario

1. We have these types of immigration amnesties periodically. The last one was in 2005. It is nothing new and is not an initiative imagined for the first time by Pedro Sanchéz. We have been doing this since the 1980s.
2. The window to apply was from April 16th-June 30th 2026 and it was only available to those who were already here for 5 months consistently before April 16th 2026.
3. A criminal background check from your country of origin and any country you have resided in in the last 5 years was one of the documents required, with a criminal records for crimes that are considered crimes also under Spanish law being reason for disqualification from the process.
4. The majority of applicants were from Latin America. Some applicants were British. 🙂
5. The regularizacion gives the right to a one year residency and work permit only. In order to renew applicants will have to meet a second set of requirements. Spanish nationality by residence is normally only available to those who have lived here legally for a minimum of 10 years, with the exception of certain groups - nationals of former Spanish colonies (2 years of legal residency) spouses of Spanish citizens (1 year of legal residency) third country nationals born in Spain (1 year of legal residency - unlike the UK being born in this country does not grant the automatic right to nationality) etc etc

I have not heard of anyone in Spain who has obtained Spanish residency or arrived here as an irregular migrant having the aim to use Spain as a stepping stone to get the the UK in recent years. The reasons for that are likely linked to our healthcare, education, ongoing EU membership, climate, and our growing economy.

Please try not to get your information exclusively from British newspapers. Your press does not give you all the information and is scaremongering.

According to the Spanish president 98% have returned. I think that is a valid point to make on a post worrying about the impact of this on the UK. Same as the fact that the area is actually on the African continent nowhere near Spain and is mainly about a diplomatic row between Spain and Morocco. Whilst the headline is worrying and the situation must have been scary for the people in Ceuta, this does not have much to do with us.
The small boat arrivals to the UK went up mainly due to Brexit, a slightly similar situation where France do not stop people coming over like they used to. If you google it, net immigration and small boat arrivals are down, due to more agreements with France, tighter immigration rules and more investment in policing. Rather than look at the sensationalist headlines, it would be great if people read up on the subject rather than parroting Reform UK.