Spain has sent troops to bolster security in its North African enclave, Ceuta, after about 60,000 migrants crossed the border from Morocco in a single day during an unprecedented incident that has caused an international outcry.
Thousands of people swam to Ceuta on Thursday as others broke through a border gate on land, with hundreds of young men wearing nothing more than their swimwear running into the town of 83,000 people.
Spanish authorities said 67 people had died while attempting the crossing and by late afternoon on Friday more than 37,500 people had been returned with Moroccan government support.
The incident has laid bare divisions across Europe on the sensitive topic of migration.
Italy's Interior Ministry ordered the closure of the country's sea and air borders with Spain on Friday, temporarily suspending the Schengen free movement agreement between the two countries.
Several conservative European politicians on Friday had attacked Spain's left-wing policies and called for the country to be suspended from the Schengen Area, which allows free movement between 29 European states.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hit back with a list of irregular entries into the EU between 2021 and 2026 that shows Italy high up with 478,000 arrivals, followed by the western Balkans, Greece and then Spain. “This is not the time to divide. It is the time to continue building a strong and united EU,” he wrote on X.
Mr Sanchez visited the enclave on Friday and said the mass crossing was “an attack, a violation of Spain's territorial sovereignty” and added his officials were in constant contact with their Moroccan counterparts. Mr Sanchez blamed a court ruling earlier this month that stated those arriving to Ceuta by sea could not be immediately expelled.
Spain said 200 specialised police officers and 60 troops had arrived from the Spanish mainland to reinforce security personnel in Ceuta. Spain's Interior Ministry said later on Friday that more than 25,000 migrants had voluntarily returned to Morocco from Ceuta.
None of the migrants were able to continue onwards to mainland Spain or to other EU states, a senior EU official said. “Moroccan authorities have reacted very quickly and have been mobilised fully to address the situation,” they added.
Dire warnings
Germany's President Friedrich Merz said he supported “Spain's intention not to allow illegal migrants on to the European continent”. He wrote on X: “The protection of the EU's external borders is crucial for combating illegal migration.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the images coming out of the area as “unacceptable”. “Dangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow,” she said.
The EU Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Brunner, is co-ordinating support for Spain, though it has so far not requested support from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, known as Frontex. The EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica, will discuss the situation with Morocco.
The Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla, which is also in northern Morocco, are the EU's only land borders with Africa. Both cities have experienced surges in crossings as migrants attempt to reach Europe.
Italian dispute
The most striking response to the crisis came from Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said her government was prepared to “intervene with extraordinary measures to defend the borders and the safety of citizens, including the suspension of the Schengen Area with Spain”.
After a formal meeting, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the decision was based on assessments by Italy's Committee for Migration Analysis and Border Security.
The left-wing Spanish government's pro-migration policy is at odds with most of Europe. Anti-migration political parties hold sway across the continent.
Rome's criticism prompted the Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares to summon the Italian ambassador in Spain. “This message is unbecoming of the Foreign Minister of a partner and friendly country from which we expect European solidarity and not partisan demagoguery,” Mr Albares said.
Finland's Interior Minister Mari Rantanen echoed Italy's position, saying Spain had “completely failed to protect the Schengen Area's external border from infiltration”.
No single EU state can decide to suspend another from Schengen. Any such decision would have to be taken by the European Council. Greece was threatened with suspension during the migration crisis in 2016.
Additionally, Spain has always maintained identity checks on flights and ferries to Ceuta, which has a special status under Schengen rules. “No one can leave from Ceuta and do onward movements to mainland Spain or to the other EU member states without having controls at the external borders,” the senior EU official said.
France also expressed alarm, with Interior Minister Laurent Nunez saying he had asked for reinforced border controls at the Spanish border.
The Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called on Spain to “swiftly regain control of the situation and fulfil its commitments within Schengen co-operation.” British Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the situation as “concerning”.
The situation in Ceuta has also drawn comment from the US and Israel, two countries that have been at odds with Spain on issues including Gaza and Palestinian statehood recognition.
“Maybe before [Spain] continues lecturing us, it’s time it explained to the world why it still maintains colonial enclaves in Africa,” said Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon. Ceuta has been under Spanish control since the 16th century.
Moroccan role
Spanish authorities were quick to say that they were co-operating with Morocco to resolve the incident. The comments appeared to be aimed at dismissing rumours that the mass arrival was orchestrated by Morocco in retaliation for Mr Sanchez's recent visit to Algeria, which has rejected Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara region.
Morocco presented a plan to the UN Security Council in 2007 to allow the region to have autonomy under its sovereign rule, a move supported by countries including France.
-
Troops escort migrants on Spain's enclave of Ceuta, situated on the northern shores of Morocco's Mediterranean coast. Reuters -
Authorities said about 50,000 people crossed into Ceuta by land and sea from July 30, in an unprecedented surge. Reuters -
Spanish soldiers question a migrant. Reuters -
The mass crossing prompted concern across the EU, and 22 member states wrote a letter asking for co-ordinated action to protect external borders and other measures. Reuters -
Locals rally against a far-right protest, organised by Nucleo Nacional and other far-right collectives, in Ceuta. Getty Images -
Spanish security personnel escort a big group of migrants to the border to take them out of Spain, after mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into Spanish territory, in Ceuta, Spain, August 1, 2026. REUTERS / Jon Nazca -
Migrants are led to the border between Spanish territory and Morocco. Reuters -
Spanish soldiers help an injured migrant on a beach. Reuters -
Migrants prepare to jump into the Spanish territory of Melilla from the Moroccan side of the border fence. EPA -
A Spanish Guardia Civil boat off the coast of Ceuta. Reuters -
A boy crosses back to Morocco through a fence next to Spanish military personnel. Reuters -
Migrants walk back to Morocco from Ceuta. Reuters -
People gather on a hill near Fnideq, in Morocco, as thousands of migrants cross the border into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. AFP -
Spanish soldiers at the Tarajal border crossing in Ceuta after violent clashes along the perimeter. EPA -
People gather along the border fence near Fnideq. AFP -
Thousands of migrants crossed overnight by land and sea. AFP -
People gather next to an overturned police vehicle at the site of clashes near Fnideq. AFP -
Migrants arrive in Spanish territory in North Africa after swimming across the Ceuta border from Morocco. Reuters -
Migrants clamber on to rocks near the border fence in Ceuta. Reuters -
Migrants travel along the coast on foot as they attempt to cross into the North African enclave from Morocco. Reuters -
A member of Spain's Civil Guard keeps watch as migrants enter Ceuta. Reuters
The senior EU official said Morocco had received “very substantial support” from the EU on migration management. “We are also going to look with them into possible shortcomings to avoid any such situations happening in the future,” they said.
