Ceuta, Spain‘s enclave on the northern coast of Africa, is facing its most intense migratory pressure in years, after more than 1,500 people crossed from Morocco over the past few days, with the largest influx recorded on Thursday. According to the latest toll reported by El País, at least 18 illegal immigrants lost their lives while attempting to reach Spanish territory. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez‘s government has decided to deploy military forces to strengthen security, while the crisis has sparked a fierce political and diplomatic dispute between Spain and Italy.
Mass Crossings by Land and Sea
The situation spiraled out of control around midday on Thursday, when thousands of illegal immigrants headed toward Ceuta. Some crossed through the enclave’s southern border checkpoint, while others attempted to bypass the frontier by swimming around the breakwater that separates Spanish territory from Morocco.
Footage from the area shows thousands of illegal immigrants – mostly young men – reaching the shoreline exhausted, with many celebrating as soon as they set foot on Spanish soil. Some shouted, “Goodbye Morocco, good morning Spain,” while others chanted, “Long live Spain.”
Early in the morning, journalists documented piles of flippers, life jackets, and wetsuits scattered across Ceuta’s beaches, a stark indication of the scale of the sea crossings.
At Least 18 Dead
The human cost of the latest migration crisis has been particularly severe.
According to the latest death toll published by El País, at least 18 people died while attempting to cross from Morocco into Ceuta.
Many of those who managed to reach the Spanish enclave were exhausted or injured, suffering cuts and bleeding to their legs and knees after scrambling across rocks and the breakwater. Others arrived in critical condition, while officers from the Guardia Civil and emergency services focused primarily on treating the injured, unable to contain the mass influx.
Military Deployed to Ceuta
In response to the escalating crisis, Spain’s Ministry of the Interior announced the deployment of military personnel to the autonomous city.
Specifically, 60 members of the armed forces will reinforce the Guardia Civil and other security agencies.
“The armed forces will support the Guardia Civil in carrying out its duties and in whatever else is deemed necessary to safeguard the security of the city of Ceuta,” the Interior Ministry said.
At the same time, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is expected to travel to Ceuta on Friday to assess the situation firsthand and coordinate the government’s next steps, as his migration policy collapses before his very eyes.
Reception Centers Over Capacity
Migratory pressure had already been building in the preceding days.
Juan Vivas, the president of the autonomous city, said that more than 1,500 people have arrived in Ceuta within just a few days, with reception centers now operating beyond their capacity.
“The situation was already urgent. Today it is even worse: new arrivals, a shortage of resources, and human lives lost at sea,” he said in a social media post.
The temporary reception centre was no longer able to accommodate new arrivals, while hundreds of migrants gathered in the surrounding areas in search of shelter, drinking water, and medical assistance.
Spanish authorities have already begun procedures to return those who are not entitled to international protection to Morocco as quickly as possible.
Rumours Triggered the Mass Gathering
On the Moroccan side of the border, dozens of people—including minors—had gathered from early in the day in the area between the city of Fnideq and Ceuta.
According to eyewitness accounts, rumours had spread that the border would open at dawn on Thursday, prompting thousands of people to make their way toward the Spanish enclave.
The scenes strongly recalled the 2021 migration crisis, when more than 10,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta in just two days, placing severe pressure on the Spanish authorities and straining relations between Madrid and Rabat.
The current emergency is regarded as the largest migration crisis the region has faced since then.
Diplomatic Clash with Italy
The situation in Ceuta also sparked strong political reactions across Europe.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for the suspension of Schengen Agreement provisions in relation to Spain, arguing that Italy could not remain passive in the face of the unfolding events.
“Italy will not stand idly by,” she said, describing the scenes from Ceuta as shocking.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani echoed that position, blaming the latest migration crisis on the Sanchez government’s decision to grant Spanish – and therefore European – citizenship to more than 500,000 undocumented migrants, a move that is understood as an attempt to influence the result of the upcoming elections.
“The images coming from Ceuta show that the Madrid government’s decision to grant Spanish, and therefore European, citizenship to more than 500,000 undocumented migrants is profoundly misguided and encourages human trafficking,” he wrote in a post on X.
Madrid’s Response
The Spanish government reacted immediately to Rome’s remarks.
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares accused the Italian government of “demagoguery,” describing his Italian counterpart’s comments as “inappropriate.”
He stressed that Spain had expected European solidarity from a “partner and friendly country,” not “partisan demagoguery.”
He also announced that he had summoned the Italian ambassador to Madrid to receive a formal diplomatic protest over the statements made by the Italian government.
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