EU Grapples with Migrant Crisis in Spain's North African Enclave Ceuta
France and Italy tightened border checks as Europe’s migration rules came under pressure after about 60,000 people crossed into the enclave, officials said.
- About 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain's Ceuta enclave on Friday, sparking one of the European Union's largest migration crises in recent years; at least 34 people died during the crossing attempt.
- Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez deployed troops, police, drones, and boats to the outpost on Friday to combat what he termed 'Trafficking mafias,' while officials reported more than 48,000 migrants had returned to Morocco by evening.
- France tightened border checks, increasing its police presence to 334 officers by Saturday, while Italy suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain for one month. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called the scenes 'unacceptable.'
- President Donald Trump warned the influx 'looks like an invasion,' while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz demanded Morocco 'take back illegal migrants immediately,' as international actors leveraged the crisis for hardline immigration policies.
- A similar 2021 surge saw more than 10,000 migrants reach Ceuta over two days during a diplomatic spat between Spain and Morocco. Overnight into Saturday, young people were observed saying 'goodbye' to officers before returning across the border.
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In the absence of an outlet, most of the candidates for exile have taken the path of return. Shocked, shaken, the population is trying to regain control of the city. But migrants are the object of disagreement, between supporters of reception and supporters of firmness.
The influx of migrants into the Ceuta enclave on 30 and 31 July is a new episode of the tumultuous relations between the two countries since the signing of their treaty of friendship, good-neighbourliness and cooperation in the 1990s.
Life in Spanish enclave of Ceuta resumes after sudden migrant surge
Life in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta is slowly getting back to normal, residents say, days after a sudden surge of some 60,000 migrants entered the tiny territory on the tip of North Africa. Most of the migrants have returned to Morocco and shops and cafes are starting to reopen.
Ceuta crisis puts Ireland's EU presidency to the test
A sudden mass crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta has thrust migration to the top of the EU agenda, overshadowing Ireland's first month holding the EU presidency. As members clash over how to respond, Fiachra Ó Cionnaith looks at how Dublin may react to it's biggest presidential test yet.
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