Ceuta: 309 million for 10,000 migrants, €30,000 per person

Ceuta: 309 million for 10,000 people, more than €30,000 per head

A folio and a division. 309 million euros distributed among 10,000 people amounts to more than €30,000 per head, and this result — repeated endlessly in any conversation about spending in Ceuta— has peine the fight over where the money goes. The operation compares the amount to the cost of a complete university degree. The problem is that this figure is not a check: it is an aggregate sum that almost no one breaks down.

The €30,000 that doesn't reach anyone's pocket

Some maintain that the €30,000 per person is lost along the way. It would not be a direct payment, but rather the sum of infrastructure, security, healthcare, personnel, and subsidies to entities managing reception. Under this view, the calculation inflates the true cost because it distributes the entire budget among those being received. The discussion focuses on whether the 309 million includes €114 million in European funds or if it is separate. The doubt remains.

Does paying for return work? The Swedish precedent

The idea of compensating those who return is not new. Sweden started this in 2024, and with the data on the table, it has not achieved the desired effect. Spain also had incentivized return campaigns, although their reach was limited. The conclusion that keeps repeating bothers all parties: announcing exit incentives is easy, but executing them is difficult.

Third country of reception: the proposal that surfaces every season

Another option cited is transferring applicants to a third country of reception while their case is being resolved, a model explored by Italy and other states. On paper, it sounds efficient; in practice, it depends on international agreements that are rarely reached. The staggering figure is not the expenditure itself: €30,000 per person exceeds the cost of a university degree, yet it falls short of sustaining the machinery that manages the process for one year.