Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita has blamed Spain for failing to return the thousands of migrants still stranded in Ceuta, roughly six weeks after 80,000 people entered the Spanish exclave in a single surge that left more than 100 dead.

The accusation, made after Bourita's first in-person meeting with his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, reopens one of the most serious diplomatic fault lines in Europe's current migration politics.

"If illegal immigrants have not been returned, if minors have not been returned, the question should not be put to Morocco, but to Spain," Bourita told journalists after Thursday's meeting.

Albares struck a conciliatory tone, saying: "Morocco has reiterated its full cooperation to ensure their return as soon as possible." He added that Spain is "committed to maintaining a good relationship with Morocco."

How many migrants are actually left in Ceuta?

The numbers are contested at the highest levels of the Spanish government. Three different figures are circulating:

• 13,000 — the estimate given by Ceuta authorities.
• 10,000 — the figure cited by some Spanish ministers.
• 5,000 — the number given by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Spain initially informed EU authorities that "all" migrants arriving in Ceuta would be returned. Most of them are Moroccan nationals who are generally ineligible for asylum. That promise has not been met.

What has changed since the July crossing?

Screening operations continue at a pace of more than 100 per day, and thousands are returning voluntarily. Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said more than 7,500 migrants have gone back to Morocco since early August.

Two categories, however, complicate returns:

• Minors. More than 2,300 registered minors remain in Ceuta, and Spanish domestic law allows them to stay in the country.
• Asylum seekers. Migrants who may qualify for international protection — predominantly people from sub-Saharan Africa — may also be allowed to remain.

Moroccan ministers have blamed Spanish "bureaucracy" for blocking the return of undocumented migrants, particularly minors. Spanish judges, prosecutors and police unions accuse Rabat of the opposite: failing to provide the cooperation needed to identify migrants and speed up administrative and judicial procedures.

The Spanish Public Prosecutor's Office, in its recent annual report, highlighted the "extremely restrictive stance" it says Morocco has adopted toward facilitating deportations.

What happens to the unaccompanied minors?

The fate of the children echoes the 2021 Ceuta crisis, when around 10,000 migrants entered irregularly and most unaccompanied minors ultimately stayed in Spain, later transferred to the mainland.

Children's Affairs Minister Sira Rego said this week that 54 minors have been transferred to mainland Spain since 1 August to reunite with their families, and most are unlikely to be returned.

"Most of them want to stay in Spain, and they are going to stay, of course. There is a law that protects them," Rego said.

Why the standoff matters

The dispute leaves both governments exposed. Spain faces domestic pressure over a returns pledge it made to EU authorities that it cannot fully deliver under its own laws protecting minors and asylum seekers. Morocco faces continued criticism from Spanish judicial and law enforcement bodies over identification and deportation cooperation.

With between 5,000 and 13,000 migrants still in the exclave depending on whose count is used, and more than 7,500 already returned voluntarily since early August, the gap between Madrid's initial commitment and the reality on the ground remains the core of the crisis — and of the diplomatic friction between the two neighbours.