In Ceuta, Spain’s enclave in North Africa bordering Morocco, thousands of illegal migrants have breached the border, overpowering the police, prompting Spain to deploy troops to bolster security. (Updated at 12:25 p.m.)
Videos from Ceuta, which have been widely shared on social media and in the press, show the storming of the European border. They show hundreds of young people swimming in a continuous stream around the Tarajal maritime breakwater. Many are using inflatable car tyres, children’s swimming rings or simply plastic bottles to stay afloat. Meanwhile, on the Moroccan shore, huge crowds are gathered, waiting to take the plunge.
Some 49,000 migrants have crossed the border between Morocco and Ceuta over the past 24 hours, whilst at least 19 people died trying to reach the enclave.
In other videos, enormous groups of migrants can be seen tearing down barriers, smashing fences and flooding the border roads. Footage from the Spanish media shows some border guards at one point opening the gates to the checkpoints to prevent a deadly crush among the onrushing crowd. Those who have broken through are running through the streets of Ceuta, celebrating, shouting “Bye bye, Morocco, hello Spain!” at the camera, pleading with the officers: “Morocco, no. Morocco, no, please!”
The land border remains blocked by a 10-metre fence and army patrols; however, the sea route to Ceuta has become legally accessible to migrants after a new court ruling,whereby migrants intercepted at sea whilst attempting to reach Ceuta or the neighbouring enclave of Melilla cannot be immediately returned under the special “refusal of entry” regime.
Spain’s Interior Ministry said human trafficking networks were exploiting this to”encourage the flow of illegal migrants,” rejecting suggestions that favourable weather conditions were to blame. The ministry said that by Friday, three platoons of 20 soldiers each, a diving unit and a military vessel would be deployed, as the tense situation on either side of the border persisted late on Thursday evening.
They “will support the Civil Guard in the exercise of its powers and any other measures that may be necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta,” it said.
The decision to send troops followed a request by the President of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, to the government to declare a state of emergency in the city, to bring under control what he described as a “humanitarian and social crisis,” and to close a legal loophole. He added that the city’s shelters for minors and adults were overflowing. The children’s shelter in Ceuta is 20 times over capacity (700 people), whilst the adult centre has exceeded its limit to such an extent that hundreds of migrants are living in tents outside the gates.
“To give the rest of Spain an idea, this is equivalent to two per cent of Ceuta’s entire population. It’s as if one million people had entered Spain irregularly by sea in the last 10 days,” Vivas explained, adding that the situation could become as chaotic as the crisis in May 2021. At that time, in response to diplomatic tensions with Spain, Morocco allowed a convoy of at least 5,000 of its citizens to sail to Ceuta.
The crisis is further exacerbated by the reality that, whilst many migrants sail close to the coast, others choose a longer route to avoid detection by the security forces. For instance, on Wednesday, a group of 39 migrants from several African countries was transferred from a shelter in Ceuta to mainland Spain.
Chaos triggers harsh diplomatic reaction
The breach of border controls has been met with a sharp response both domestically and internationally. Italy threatened to close its border with Spain following Thursday’s events, when Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned that she would suspend the Schengen Agreement with Spain, putting an end to free movement between the two countries.
“The images coming from Ceuta are striking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a concrete threat to the security of Europe’s borders,” she said, adding that “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 Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, for his part, confirmed the intention to close the borders with Spain, stating that “the images coming from Ceuta show how the Madrid Government’s decision to grant Spanish – and therefore European – citizenship to over 500,000 irregular immigrants is profoundly wrong and encourages human trafficking.”
The Spanish Foreign Minister, for his part, noted that the Deputy Prime Minister’s remarks were inappropriate for a foreign minister of an allied country, accusing Tajani of exploiting immigration for political ends. He also refuted claims that the influx of migrants had been caused by the Spanish government’s decision to grant amnesty to migrants.
The Schengen Area has taken centre stage in the debate after applications reached unprecedented levels, totalling almost 1.5 million, following the amnesty for migrants.
Meanwhile, the Vox party has described the current crisis as an “invasion” and blamed the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The party leader stated that “Sánchez is a traitor, a corrupt man, and an indecent person,” describing Sánchez “as the enemy of the Spanish people.” Meanwhile, Spanish Vox MEP Jorge Buxadé similarly described the arrivals as a “massive assault,” saying that “there is a single party responsible: Sánchez.”
Sánchez did not respond to the criticism, insisting that his country was “mobilising all necessary resources” to tackle the migration issue in the enclave.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the Debout la France party, wrote on X that the influx of migrants as an “invasion” and called for withdrawal from the European Union: “We must absolutely prevent their arrival in France, where our generous social benefits will attract them, by leaving the European Union to restore our national borders!”
Jordan Bardella, chairman of the French National Rally party, also accused Sanchez of being responsible for the current situation, stating that “the result is clear: for several days now, thousands of migrants have been flooding into the Ceuta enclave. Tomorrow, they will be on our streets, against the will of the French people.”
François-Xavier Bellamy, a Member of the European Parliament, warned on X that “this is not just a problem for Spain: it is a problem for France and for the whole of Europe. When the Spanish left encourages illegal immigration, it is our countries that it puts at risk.”
Kinga Gál, First Deputy Chair of Patriots for Europe, stated that “The mass influx of illegal migrants into Ceuta serves as yet another reminder that, due to irresponsible migration policies, Europe is losing control over its own territory and future.”
Therefore, the crisis in Ceuta has gone far beyond the scope of a local humanitarian issue and has turned into an acute systemic crisis affecting the security and legal framework of the entire European Union. Experts highlight that the Supreme Court’s ruling has in effect prevented the swift deportation of illegal migrants, with the result that people-smugglers have instantly adapted their logistical operations to the new case law.
It remains unclear what the situation in Ceuta will lead to, but Prime Minister Sánchez is due to arrive in the territory on Friday.
