Morocco beefs up security at Ceuta and Melilla borders after online calls for new crossings

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Morocco said Wednesday it has beefed up security along its border with Spain as calls resurfaced on social media for mass crossings into the Spanish city of Ceuta, raising concerns of another surge, similar to the one last month when tens of thousands of migrants rushed the border.

Spain's Civil Guard insisted that the border will remain closed and Defense Minister Margarita Robles warned against any new attempt at a mass entry into Spain's North African exclaves.

Messages are circulating in Moroccan social media groups for a new rush on Ceuta’s border on Saturday. The source of the messages is unclear.

In late July, some 72,000 migrants swam or climbed over the border breakwater to reach the Spanish city, fueled by economic hardship and by false rumors circulating online about an open border. Nearly all have since returned to Morocco, but the surge had political repercussions around Europe.

At least 80 people died in the attempt, according to official tallies. Human rights groups have reported higher figures.

Would-be migrants are now also being urged to cross into Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city on the northern coast of Africa. Together, Ceuta and Melilla form the European Union’s only land borders with Africa.

The Moroccan Interior Ministry said in Wednesday's statement that “all necessary measures have been taken to counter” any new “illegal crossing attempt.” It said the security monitoring is part of a “system of continuous vigilance — particularly in areas near the Ceuta and Melilla crossings.”

The Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to questions about the number of personnel deployed or the equipment being used.

Videos shared on social media show hundreds of police officers in riot gear deployed on the Moroccan side of the border, alongside water cannons and ambulances. Local news site Hespress said equipment for deploying tear gas and stun grenades had also been brought to the border.

A senior Moroccan diplomat previously said that more than 20,000 Moroccan security personnel are deployed along the border with Ceuta each day, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. The diplomat was not authorized to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Interior Ministry also said Moroccan authorities had arrested and were investigating “a group of people suspected of carrying out incitement activities.” It did not elaborate.

Robles, visiting Ceuta, said it was “everyone’s responsibility to deal with those who are directing these movements, including through social media,” and called “any aggression against Ceuta or Melilla … an aggression against Spain as a whole.”

“This must be absolutely clear: what happened cannot happen again,” she said.

Spain’s Civil Guard shared a message on social media seemingly aimed at migrants, in French and Spanish.

“Neither the border with Spain is open; nor will it be. There are new containment barriers. If you cross them, you will be returned. Don’t let yourself be deceived,” it said.

The Instagram post was accompanied by a photo of a containment barrier in Ceuta that was constructed in the immediate aftermath of the July 31 border breach.

Associated Press writer Suman Naishadham in Medinaceli, Spain, contributed to this report.

Migrants who crossed from Morocco into Spain line up for food distribution on a beach in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A Ceuta resident shows a photo of body bags containing migrants who died while trying to cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco, at the Port of Ceuta, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A migrant who crossed from Morocco into Spain holds a sign reading, in Spanish, "asylum" as he lines up for food distribution on a beach in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A 12-year-old unaccompanied minor who crossed into Spain is escorted by a Spanish soldier to the Spain-Morocco border as the child begs not to be sent back to Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The forced deportation of the unaccompanied minor was stopped by a high-ranking official a few meters before the child reached the border after residents and journalists said the migrant was a minor. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Jury selection began Wednesday in Meta's federal trial over claims its platforms have harmed youth mental health and also track children in violation of federal law.

The trial scheduled to begin next week is expected to last six to eight weeks. Meta faces 29 states in the federal multidistrict lawsuit filed in 2023, but the Oakland trial will only include the first four — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey.

Eight states, including Tennessee where a trial is ongoing, filed lawsuits in their own state courts.

The 2023 lawsuit, filed in federal court in Oakland, California, claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law.

“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms,” the complaint says. “It has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children.”

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers asked prospective jurors about their own social media activity, knowledge about other lawsuits Meta faces, and any strong feelings they may have about social media companies and their role regarding the allegations.

The trial is the latest in an avalanche of lawsuits against Meta Platforms and other social media companies including Google's YouTube, TikTok and Snap, over claims their platforms harm young people, illegally collect their data and are deliberately designed to addict them.

Last week, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young people from its platforms in the second phase of a landmark trial.

The penalty is in addition to the $375 million in civil penalties that jurors ordered against Meta in March after determining the company knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

In the second phase, prosecutors asked the judge to impose fundamental changes at Meta aimed at reining in addictive features, improving age verification and preventing child sexual exploitation through default privacy settings and closer oversight.

The states are seeking heavy penalties and changes to the way Meta operates its platforms to make them safer for children. Meta has repeatedly said it has introduced dozens of features to do so. It is appealing the New Mexico decision.

“We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people,” the Menlo Park, California, tech giant said in a statement. “We’ve listened to parents, worked with experts and law enforcement, and conducted in-depth research to understand the issues that matter most. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, and we’re always working to do better.”

Attorney Paul W. Schmidt, representing Meta, right, arrives at a Federal Courthouse Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

People walk outside of a Federal Courthouse Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)