Spain cannot maintain relatively open and regularization-friendly migration policies at home while expecting Morocco to shoulder the full burden of preventing irregular crossings into Ceuta and Melilla. Domestic pull factors generated by Spanish decisions helped fuel the surge, yet Spanish officials continue to treat Moroccan border cooperation as an automatic obligation. In April 2026 the Spanish government launched an extraordinary regularization process, offering residence and work permits to irregular migrants. When large numbers of predominantly young Moroccans crossed into Ceuta between 30 and 31 July, many cited circulating videos and messages claiming that Spanish rules had become more favorable. The Ceuta episode demonstrates that pull factors generated in Madrid eventually register on the ground in Fnideq and beyond.