At least eighteen migrants are dead after a sudden surge of arrivals from Morocco overwhelmed Ceuta, prompting Spain to deploy troops and reinforce its police presence in the North African enclave.
Spain’s Interior Ministry estimated Friday that about 49,000 people had entered Ceuta from neighboring Morocco over the previous 24 hours. Many crossed by land, while others tried to swim around the Tarajal breakwater.
The influx, one of the largest ever recorded in the territory, overwhelmed reception facilities and triggered a diplomatic dispute between Spain and Italy over the protection of the European Union’s external borders.
Migrants enter Ceuta by land and sea
A spokesperson for Spain’s Guardia Civil said migrants were entering “massively” from the sea near Tarajal, although the border force initially could not provide an exact number. The crossings began slowly Thursday morning, when small groups reached the enclave by swimming from Morocco. By midday, the situation had escalated dramatically as thousands approached the border, crossed by land or swam around the breakwater separating Moroccan and Spanish territory.
Spanish media reports accused Moroccan police of showing little resistance as crowds moved toward Ceuta.
Authorities have not determined what prompted the sudden mass movement. However, the influx followed a Spanish Supreme Court ruling that barred authorities from immediately returning migrants intercepted at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla under the enclaves’ special border-rejection system.
Death toll reaches at least 18
At least eighteen people died during the attempted crossings, according to the latest reports. Many drowned, while others reportedly lost their lives in a stampede near Tarajal Beach. Young men, women, and children arrived exhausted, injured and, in some cases, without shoes. Life jackets, diving suits and swimming equipment littered the shoreline.
Ceuta’s reception center was already operating beyond capacity, forcing hundreds of people to sleep in parks, gather near public buildings, or move through the streets as authorities tried to provide emergency assistance.
The crisis marks the most serious influx into Ceuta since 2021, when about five thousand people crossed from Morocco in a single day.
Spain sends troops as Ceuta faces growing pressure
The Spanish government deployed military units stationed in Ceuta to support the Guardia Civil and emergency services. Madrid also sent additional police officers to reinforce the border with Morocco. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska were expected to visit the enclave Friday to assess conditions and coordinate the government’s response.
Ceuta’s regional authorities called for stronger emergency measures, warning that the territory lacked the infrastructure to accommodate arrivals on such a scale.
Ceuta and Melilla, Spain’s two enclaves on Africa’s northern coast, form the European Union’s only land borders with the continent. Both territories have repeatedly faced large-scale attempts by migrants seeking entry into EU territory.
Italy calls for Spain’s Schengen suspension
The crisis also sparked a confrontation between Madrid and Rome after Italian officials called for Spain’s temporary suspension from Europe’s Schengen open-border area until it regained control of the situation. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the scenes from Ceuta showed that uncontrolled irregular migration posed a direct threat to European border security.
“Italy will not stand by and watch,” Meloni said, adding that her government was prepared to consider extraordinary measures, including suspending Schengen arrangements with Spain. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani backed the proposal and linked the surge to Spain’s recent decision to regularize more than 500,000 undocumented migrants living in the country.
Spain rejects Italian criticism over Ceuta migrant crisis
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares condemned Tajani’s comments as inappropriate for the foreign minister of a partner and friendly country. He described them as “partisan demagoguery.” Albares said he would summon the Italian ambassador to Madrid on Friday to explain the remarks.
Spain argued that cooperation with Morocco and coordinated European action offered the best way to address the crisis rather than unilateral restrictions within the Schengen area. The dispute added a political dimension to an already severe humanitarian emergency as Spanish and Moroccan authorities worked to restore control at the border and assist thousands of migrants who had reached Ceuta.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
