Fact

In 2023 the Interior Ministry estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 people entered Ceuta on 17 May 2021

Permanent link https://ceutafacts.org/en/fichas/interior-20210517/

A decision of the Civil Guard Directorate-General, signed on 1 December 2023, answers a request about entries into Ceuta on 17 May 2021. It says it was not possible to count those who entered irregularly along the border perimeter and estimates that the figure ranges between 8,000 and 10,000 people.

• The decision is resolution 00239/2023 (GESAT reference 00001-00083370), signed by José Manuel Santiago Marín, divisional general and head of the Technical Cabinet.
• The text says: «it was not possible to count the number of people who had managed to enter national territory irregularly along the border perimeter, although the figure is estimated to range between 8,000 and 10,000 people.»
• The request concerned the city of Ceuta. When discussing minors, the decision names the Autonomous City of Ceuta: it gives no exact figure for minors and places at approximately 1,100 those who were in sites managed by the City, plus an undetermined number on the streets.
• The figure of 8,000 to 10,000 is a 2023 estimate, not a closed count for 17 May 2021. The minors figure is neither added to it nor subtracted from it here.