Declassified documents from Spain’s National Intelligence Service (CNI) confirm that on 29 July 2024 the agency sent a warning to Moroccan intelligence and Ceuta’s authorities about coordinated WhatsApp and Facebook groups urging a mass crossing. The warning noted that the messages were being received by roughly 180,000 people.

The warning and its content

The CNI note, released by the Spanish government and reported by BBC News, described a specific message that read: “Whoever wants to cross has the last chance on Throne Day [30 July] at 8 the authorities will be distracted with the celebrations and parades.” The agency estimated that about 180,000 individuals were receiving these WhatsApp and Facebook messages on the day of the alert.

In addition to the written note, the CNI transmitted a text message to the central government’s representation in Ceuta and to the civil guard, reinforcing the same concern. Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, the central government’s delegate in Ceuta, later qualified the communication, saying: “The Whatsapps from [July] 29 do not constitute an alert or a report, it is nothing more than an exchange of information.”

The crossing and the numbers

Despite the warning, tens of thousands of migrants entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on 30‑31 July 2024. Official figures cited by the BBC article place the total at approximately 72,000 people crossing from Morocco into Ceuta over the two‑day period.

The table juxtaposes the size of the audience exposed to the social‑media calls with the actual number of migrants who made the crossing, highlighting the scale of the mobilisation.

Government response and political fallout

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez publicly maintained that the mass arrival was impossible to predict. His statement, made in early September 2024, came after the crossing and after the release of a police report that blamed permissive actions by Moroccan security forces.

Opposition parties have seized on the declassified CNI documents to argue that the government misled the public. They point to the 29 July warning as evidence that the surge was foreseeable and that the lack of a concrete preventive response constitutes a failure of responsibility.

While Sánchez’s position rests on the claim that the intelligence note was “nothing more than an exchange of information,” Pérez Triano’s remark underscores a divergent interpretation within the central administration itself. The contrast between the agency’s estimate of 180,000 potential participants and the government’s later denial fuels a debate over accountability and the adequacy of pre‑emptive security measures.

What remains unknown

The declassified documents do not reveal whether any operational steps were taken by Moroccan or Ceuta authorities after receiving the CNI warning. They also omit details on how the messages were disseminated across the estimated 180,000 recipients, such as the specific groups or networks involved.

Furthermore, the exact wording of the CNI note beyond the quoted message has not been published, leaving open the question of whether the agency characterised the information as an alert, a report, or a simple information exchange. The extent to which the central government’s representation in Ceuta acted on the text message sent on 29 July remains unclear.

Finally, the long‑term impact on migration policy and on Spain‑Morocco security cooperation is still being assessed. Analysts note that the episode may prompt a review of intelligence‑sharing protocols, but no official plan has been announced.

As the debate continues, the newly released CNI documents provide a concrete factual anchor: a warning on 29 July that reached roughly 180,000 people, followed by a crossing of about 72,000 migrants on 30‑31 July, and a subsequent government narrative that the event was unpredictable.