Mass Migrant Crossing Hits Ceuta
Spain sent extra Civil Guard officers and military units to its North African enclave of Ceuta on Thursday after an estimated 49,000 migrants crossed from neighbouring Morocco in just 24 hours, overwhelming security forces and reception centres.
Footage shows soldiers and Civil Guard officers deployed across the enclave as crowds pour into Spanish territory. Many are soaked after swimming around the border barriers, while others cheer after reaching Ceuta.
Spain’s Interior Ministry said around 49,000 people had crossed by Friday. At least 18 migrants died attempting the journey, most by drowning or in a crush near the border.
Border Crisis Sparks Tensions
Ceuta is one of two Spanish enclaves in North Africa and lies on the European Union’s only land border with the continent. It has long been a major entry point for migrants trying to reach Europe.
Morocco blamed criminal smuggling networks for the surge and denied facilitating irregular migration, describing its cooperation with Spain as ‘exemplary’.
The crisis echoes the mass crossing of 2021, when around 8,000 people entered Ceuta over two days, overwhelming local services and triggering a diplomatic crisis between Madrid and Rabat.
EU Leaders Debate Response
On Friday, Italy announced extraordinary measures against Spain, including the ‘suspension’ of passport-free travel arrangements, unless Madrid regained control of the border crisis.
“Italy will not stand by and watch. We are convening the relevant bodies, and following these meetings, we are prepared to intervene with extraordinary measures to defend the borders and the safety of citizens, including the suspension of the Schengen Area with Spain,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on X.
Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell reacted: “After thousands of migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco this week, Italy threatened to “suspend Schengen with Spain.” It just can’t. Under EU law, no Member State can unilaterally suspend another’s participation in Schengen.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also pushed back, citing figures showing that more irregular migrants had entered the European Union through Italy than through Spain.
“Solidarity and empathy are optional. Respect for European treaties and data is not… This is not the time to divide. It is the time to continue building a strong and united EU,” he wrote on X.
Article by Viory
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