What Happened in Cueta?

Cueta. It came into the news recently (July, ’26) when an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 people swam or crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave within a couple of days.

 

Tomas Pueyo dug into what that was all about.  First, you need to know where Cueta is. No, though part of Spain, it is not in Europe. Rather, it lies on the African (Morrocco) side of the Mediterranean.


 Since Cueta is adjoining Morrocco, which is much poorer than Spain, people have been trying (for decades) to get into Cueta as an entry into Spain (and eventually Europe) for a better life. So much easier than having to cross the Mediterranean. Unsurprisingly, the Morocco - Cueta border is heavily fenced, has barb wires, and is monitored tightly by Spain. Not at all easy to cross.

 

But… it is possible to swim across the border! The pic explains the route. 

See how easy that is? But also, nothing new. People have been trying this for ages. And getting deported back. Doesn’t work if you were trying to immigrate.

 

What then set off the July mass influx of 50,000+ people by this same swimming route? In June, the Spanish Supreme Court ruled that those who swam into Cueta illegally could not be insta-returned, i.e., they could not be deported immediately without any hearings or legal options to apply for asylum (NGO, human rights groups pressure had led to this verdict). A lot of Moroccans, not knowing Spanish well, misunderstood the verdict to (incorrectly) mean:

“If you swim into Spain, you won’t be deported.”

By extension, they (wrongly) thought, once in Cueta, you could go to (European) Spain next, and from there to anywhere in Europe. A better life looked possible.

 

Cueta was overwhelmed by the numbers, couldn’t process them fast, the immigrants went round looting shops. Eventually, when they understood that they could/would still be deported (after hearings), most of them went back.

~~

 

The next question is hard. How did so many people assemble so quickly? This is where things get murky. Did the Moroccan government facilitate this actively? Or coincidence – celebrations for the anniversary of the Moroccan king’s ascension to the throne meant may policemen were pulled into other duties?

 

But why would the Moroccan government even care to facilitate such illegal immigration deliberately? Ah, because of the historical grouse. If imperialism ended, why does Spain still have territories (not just Cueta) in Africa? The answer is because Cueta is critical to who owns the Straits of Gibraltar, the narrow waterway connecting Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

 

Remind you of the Straits of Hormuz? Yes, exactly, Hormuz is owned by Iran and Oman because they lie on either side. Spain wanted to prevent joint ownership of Gibraltar, so they kept Cueta. Thus, by international law (drawn by whites, of course), Spain owns both sides of (and, therefore, all of) the Straits of Gibraltar.

 

For exactly this reason, Morocco has historically followed a policy of creeping acquisition of (Spanish) territories along the Mediterranean – have “irregular” forces occupy those lands, have deniability, and then take over the land by virtue of fait accompli (“done deal” becomes the “new normal”).

~~

 

Continued Spanish imperialism. Morocco wanting to take back what is “logically” theirs. The importance of the Straits of the Gibraltar. A Spanish court verdict that got misunderstood. That combo is why the events of Cueta occurred.

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