King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia Visit Ceuta as Migration Strains Spain-Morocco Ties

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia began their first royal visit to Ceuta on Tuesday, expressing solidarity with residents of the Spanish enclave in North Africa. The trip follows a July surge in which roughly 80,000 migrants crossed Ceuta's border from Morocco, and more than 140 people died during the crossings. Although many who entered were quickly returned, thousands have stayed in the city of 84,000 residents on the Mediterranean Sea; the mayor has estimated that as many as 15,000 remain, though the exact number is unknown. The continued presence of migrants has fueled social tension in Ceuta and become a national political issue in Spain, where opposition parties aim to leverage migration concerns against the progressive government in elections scheduled for next month. The visit also comes amid heightened diplomatic frustration with Rabat over the border situation.