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By Hugh Cameron
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The conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley alleges that he has been threatened while reporting on the recent influx of migrants into the Spanish territory of Ceuta.
Last week saw tens of thousands cross from Morocco to Ceuta, in what the leaders of both the enclave and Spain have described as a "violation" of "territorial integrity." On Monday, Spanish officials said that around 69,500 migrants who initially crossed over had returned to Morocco, leaving an estimated 2,500 still in Ceuta—a town of around 84,000.
Shirley, who gained prominence for videos documenting alleged fraud in Minnesota, traveled to the town where he has been interviewing locals and migrants. The main, 29-minute video of this trip has amassed over eight million views on X and more than 900,000 on YouTube as of Tuesday morning. In one clip, Shirley appears to be pursued by several individuals, including a man he said was carrying a knife, before Spanish police escorted him and his crew back to their vehicle.
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Speaking to Fox News about the incident, Shirley said the man—whom he identified as a Moroccan migrant—had threatened to stab both him and his colleague. Newsweek could not independently confirm the man’s identity, nationality or immigration status.
Newsweek has contacted Shirley via X for further comment.
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Ceuta Chaos Fractures Europe
Most of those who entered Ceuta illegally last week have been escorted back to Morocco by police and the Spanish army. Juan Jesus Vivas, the Mayor-President of Ceuta, told the broadcaster Telecinco on Monday that a few thousand remained in the territory.
Spanish officials say at least 88 people died during last week's scenes, with Moroccan authorities reporting a slightly smaller figure. And while the majority who made the crossing have since returned, the incident has strained relations between Rabat and Madrid as well as among the European Union’s (EU) member states.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has urged "united action" on border security following last week’s influx.
"From this incident, it is clear that we must do more to further strengthen our borders at critical points," von der Leyen wrote in a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, in which she lauded his "swift handling" of the crisis.
But Sánchez has condemned certain EU members for what he has called their "selfish" reaction to last week's incident, and the minimal support Spain received as it attempted to address the crisis and prevent unauthorized crossings to mainland Europe.
This came after Italy suspended its Schengen arrangement with Spain and temporarily reinstated border checks, while officials in Finland, Denmark and Czechia backed calls for a temporary suspension of Spain's Schengen membership.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her country was prepared to take "extraordinary measures" to defend its borders, and that the scenes from Ceuta served as evidence that "uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a concrete threat to the security of Europe's borders."
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American Right Seize on Crisis
The incident has become a flashpoint in debates over immigration both in Europe and the U.S., with President Donald Trump blaming the influx of migrants on "very liberal law" and saying this should inform voters choices come November.
"It's terrible. Remember that picture. That's going to be us in three years if the wrong side gets in," Trump told Fox News on Friday.
"DON’T LET OUR COUNTRY BE DESTROYED," Trump later posted to Truth Social. "VOTE REPUBLICAN, AND BE PROUD OF THE U.S.A."
Shirley, meanwhile, said that Spain had "literally opened their gates upon arrival" for the Moroccan migrants, and that Ceuta had "now effectively shut down due to looting concerns, and the military is losing power as migrants outnumber them and continue to escape into the mountains."
"Now thousands of military age men are set to spread throughout Europe due to one country’s ‘failure,’ he wrote on X.
Ceuta, on the North African coast, is surrounded by Moroccan territory and separated from mainland Spain by sea. No evidence has emerged that any of the migrants who took part in last week’s crossings were able to travel from Ceuta to the mainland.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips.
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