&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Spain migrant crisis: 49,000 cross border from Morocco in 24 hours – What is happening in Ceuta?")
Europe is on edge after tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco illegally entered Spain through land and sea overnight, with at least 19 killed in the process. The chaos at the border near a Spanish enclave has prompted Spanish and Moroccan authorities to strengthen security in the region. According to Spain’s Interior Ministry, 49,000 people have crossed the border in the last 24 hours, drawing concerns from neighbouring nations.
To control one of the largest migrant crises on the country’s border, Madrid has sent troops and more police personnel, including divers, drones and boats, to fortify security in Ceuta, an autonomous city on the northern coast of Africa that shares its land border with Morocco. Viral videos on social media showed thousands of migrants at the border, entering Ceuta by land and swimming via the sea. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska are expected to visit the city on Friday (Jul 31).
‘Spain failed to protect the Schengen Area’
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni has called for Spain’s suspension from the Schengen Area zone, which allows passport-free travel across 29 European countries. She said that the images from Ceuta showing migrants, including children, crossing into the Spanish territory were “shocking”. She warned Italy would not remain silent and said Rome was prepared to consider “exceptional measures”.
“We are in the process of bringing together the competent bodies and, once these meetings are over, we are ready to act, including through exceptional measures... such as suspending the Schengen agreement with Spain,” Meloni said on X. “Italy will not stand idly by.”
Finland has also backed cutting off Spain from the Schengen zone over the situation in Ceuta.
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‘Italy will not...’: Meloni threatens Spain’s Schengen access after thousands enter Ceuta from Morocco
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Also read | ‘Italy will not...’: Meloni threatens Spain’s Schengen access after thousands enter Ceuta from Morocco
“Spain has completely failed to protect the Schengen Area’s external border from infiltration. This cannot continue,” Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said on X. “Countries that do not fulfil their obligation to protect the external border cannot be members of Schengen.”
In response to the migrant crisis in Ceuta, France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has said that it will strengthen checks at its border with Spain. “In response to the situation observed in the Ceuta enclave, I gave instructions as of last night to immediately strengthen the controls at the Spanish border. Furthermore, I am activating the Rapid Intervention Border Force for in-depth checks,” he said in a post on X.
Several other European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have expressed concerns over the issue.
Why are migrants crossing into Spain?
While the reason for the sudden influx of migrants from the border in Ceuta is not clear, Spain’s Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres on Friday (Jul 31) said that the recent surge could be linked to several factors, including a Spanish Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that barred authorities from immediately returning migrants intercepted at sea while trying to reach Ceuta and Melilla under special procedures.
Ceuta: Spanish autonomous city at the centre of migrant crisis
Ceuta is a Spanish autonomous city located on the northern coast of Africa, at the entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar. Along with Melilla, situated around 400 kilometres to the east, it forms the European Union’s only land borders with Africa. The city, home to around 85,000 people, has been under Spanish control since 1580 and has a diverse population of Christians and Muslims, as well as Spanish and Moroccan residents.
However, Ceuta remains a major point of contention between Spain and Morocco. Rabat does not recognise Spanish sovereignty over the enclave and refers to Ceuta and Melilla as “occupied territories”. The city has repeatedly become a flashpoint over migration and diplomacy. In May 2021, around 8,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco after border controls were relaxed, triggering a diplomatic crisis between Madrid and Rabat linked to tensions over Western Sahara.
