Spain’s prime minister rushes to defuse migrant crisis after 60,000 cross from Morocco in a single day

At least 57 people have died in a massive migrant surge from Morocco toward the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. They were among an estimated 50,000 people who attempted the crossing this week, although Spanish authorities said most had been returned to Morocco by Friday evening. The sudden arrival of tens of thousands of migrants prompted Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to rush to the territory, Italy to suspend the EU’s border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain and France to order extra checks along its Spanish border. Authorities in Ceuta said that many of those who lost their lives drowned as crowds streamed over the border by land and sea on Thursday, overwhelming border guards. Spanish authorities had said they would try to expel those who entered illegally as quickly as possible, despite a recent ruling by Spain’s supreme court that migrants arriving by sea cannot be returned to Morocco. In the end, many appear to have left of their own accord. Reuters reported that hundreds of people could be seen returning to Morocco through border posts and holes in the fence on Friday, with some saying they could not find food or shelter in Ceuta. Spain’s Interior Ministry had said around 50,000 people had crossed the border since Thursday morning, while Ceuta’s regional government estimated a total of 60,000 migrants. Sánchez said the mass crossings constituted a “violation of Spain’s territorial integrity” and blamed them on misinformation from people traffickers following the supreme court ruling. “What happened yesterday deserves our full reproach, our full condemnation,” he said. The arrival of tens of thousands of people overwhelmed the small territory of Ceuta, a spit that juts out into the Mediterranean Sea from the Moroccan coast with a population of just 84,000, and sparked a storm of criticism both at home and abroad. Italy said it was temporarily restoring some air and maritime border controls with Spain for 30 days. “The temporary suspension of #Schengen regarding Spain is a necessary step to safeguard our citizens’ security and defend European borders,” Italy’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani said on X. Ordinarily, all travelers flying or sailing from Spain to Italy face no routine passport or customs checks. However, Italian public broadcaster RAI reported that a monthlong suspension of these rules will begin August 1. Citing Interior Ministry sources, RAI stated that the suspension involves “targeted checks” only on non-EU nationals arriving from Spain in Italy to verify their entry eligibility. Consequently, Spanish and other EU citizens, as well as anyone traveling from Italy to Spain, can continue to cross the border without additional requirements. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had earlier called for Spain’s membership of the Schengen agreement, which allows freedom of movement within the European Union, to be suspended. CNN contacted major airlines flying between Spain and Italy about the potential impact on their services. Vueling said its flights and schedules were unaffected, but reminded passengers to carry valid travel documents. Iberia also reported no changes to its flights to or from Italy and said it would notify customers if the situation changed. Although Ceuta and Melilla, another Spanish exclave in North Africa, are part of Schengen, border controls still apply on goods and travelers between those territories and mainland Spain. Other European leaders also voiced concerns. EU President Ursula von der Leyen said “we cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules” in a post on X, and French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said he had ordered extra checks at his country’s border with Spain. Migration is one of the most divisive issues in Europe, where far-right parties that oppose immigration have been on the rise, leading to tougher policies across much of the continent. The pro-immigration policies of Sánchez’s Socialist government make it an outlier, and Thursday’s events will pile pressure on the prime minister. The US State Department criticized Spain’s immigration policies and said the incident was a direct result of the Spanish government’s “deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe.” Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump warned that the migrant surge was an example of what’s to come if Republicans aren’t elected in November — something he said should be a “talking point for the midterms.” The leader of Spain’s far-right opposition party VOX called the prime minister a “traitor” in a post on X on Thursday. “He behaves like an enemy of the Spanish people,” Santiago Abascal wrote. “The national emergency can only be resolved by kicking him out.” It’s not the first time this has happened in Ceuta - in May 2021, more than 8,000 migrants poured into Ceuta in just two days - although the scale of the influx this time appears to have been unprecedented. “Honestly, I don’t even know why I came, and now I’m going back,” a young Moroccan man who said he was from Tangier told Reuters. “I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday, even though I brought some money with me… What we’re doing is neither good nor enjoyable.” CNN has contacted Spain’s interior ministry for comment.