Spain has condemned the "selfish, polarising and unlawful" reaction of some EU countries to the influx of about 60,000 migrants from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
The death toll on the frontline has risen to 67, but officials say most of those who crossed have been repatriated. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that the surge was a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity and blamed traffickers for orchestrating the crossings.
In response, Madrid has dispatched troops, police, drones and boats to Ceuta and has confirmed that no irregular migrants have crossed into mainland Spain. The government also urged EU partners to respect lawful border controls and denounced the politicised attacks from Italy, Finland, Denmark and others.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the immigration flow a threat to national security and temporarily suspended Spain’s Schengen cooperation for a month; Finland and Denmark backed the move, while Czech PM Andrej Babiš called for a temporary suspension of Spain’s Schengen re‑entry.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other officials have warned that images from Ceuta are unacceptable and that the Union cannot allow illegal crossings without following rules.
Spanish forces have also watched for possible spill‑over to Melilla, where similar flooding of migrants was reported. The country plans to reinforce borders if the situation escalates further.
