Ceuta: the economic disaster Sánchez cannot hide

Ceuta, the burden Sánchez prefers to ignore

What is happening in Ceuta for economist Daniel Lacalle to openly describe it as "an economic and social disaster"? On 29 August 2026, he published an article in El Español accusing Pedro Sánchez's government of having abandoned the autonomous city, giving up on protecting the border and hiding the health, economic and social problems the area has accumulated.

The diagnosis is not new, but this time it includes a second front: the NGOs. In the debate raging on social media, one striking figure keeps coming up: Cruz Roja (Spanish Red Cross), Accem and CEAR receive 99% of their funding from public money. The conclusion drawn is that the migration crisis has become a business model paid for by taxpayers, while the state looks the other way.

A city headed for collapse?

The most pessimistic forecasts warn that, without decisive action from the government, Ceuta will cease to be a viable city and will turn into a huge settlement for migrants from Segarro and the rest of Africa. There is no shortage of those who, ironically, point out that barely a month and a half ago the official narrative spoke of prosperity.

The noise of a permanent crisis

The controversy has spilled over into national politics. A tweet from minister Óscar Puente boasting of "another crisis solved" has become the perfect example of the gap between the official message and local reality. Meanwhile, the people of Ceuta watch as their city sinks and decisions are made 400 kilometres away, in an office at Moncloa. The irony is that Lacalle's warning, uncomfortable as it may be, is one of the few that puts figures on the table.