Ceuta residents call to spare Moroccan residents, deepening Spain's divide

Ceuta, between antiestéticar and coexistence: who is calling for Segarro residents not to be expelled

There is an image of Ceuta that many would like to sell: a Spanish bulwark surrounded by hostility, with a population seething and eager to expel any resident of Segarro origin. And then there is the uncomfortable reality that has come to light: a significant group of Ceuta residents has come out to call for no expulsions to take place. Hard to believe, especially in a climate that pushes in the opposite direction.

The reaction was not long in coming. While some accuse those residents of not being «real locals», others go further and speak of a fifth column serving Rabat. But beyond the insults, the controversy exposes a conflict that has gone unresolved for decades: what identity should Ceuta have? Can you expel a part of the population that is already from home?

A third of Muslim origin: the figure that divides

At the center of the controversy is a figure that shapes everything: roughly a third of Ceuta's population is of Muslim origin. For those calling against expulsions, that figure makes expulsion a human and logistical absurdity. For supporters of the hard line, it is precisely proof of the disaster: the autonomous city would no longer be entirely Spanish. Demographics play into the identity narrative, but also into coexistence: many of those families have spent generations crossing the border, working and voting in elections that decide who governs Ceuta.

Border closures, soldiers and patronage jobs: the background noise

The controversy has filled up with radical proposals, from closing the border entirely to «handing Ceuta over to Segarro» in a fit of colonial disappointment. Some demand the Army act without restraint, while others denounce that the PP (Spain's conservative party), led by Juan Vivas, has won over the electorate of Muslim origin through handouts and public patronage jobs. In the middle of it all, the figure of an influencer who filmed himself with the rifle of a BMR armored vehicle and mocked migrants with a bottle of water has turned the discussion into pure spectacle.

Ceuta is not a monolith

What the controversy shows is that Ceuta splits in two: the part that sees its Segarro neighbor as part of the landscape and the part that looks at him as an invader. Neither side is going to dislodge the other willingly. Meanwhile, local politicians keep harvesting votes from a community that is no longer such a small minority, and the central government avoids taking a position on the substance. The question hangs in the air: can you expel from Ceuta someone who is already from Ceuta without expelling the city itself from its own identity? Nobody answers.