Most of the tens of thousands of migrants who swam into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta on Thursday have returned to Morocco, escorted to the border by Spanish soldiers and police.
At least 67 people died during the migrant surge, with their bodies pulled from the sea.
Fratelli d'Italia, the hard-right party of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, posted a caption stating, "This is the Sanchez model the Italian left wing likes so much".
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the suspension of Italy's Schengen agreement with Spain, citing a security threat. As a result, travellers from Spain to Italy face random document checks by police for a few weeks.
Almost two dozen European Union (EU) heads of state signed Meloni's call for an urgent meeting of interior ministers to eliminate policies acting as "pull factors" to Europe.
Spain allows hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants to apply for residence and work permits to regularize their status.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized some in the EU for "attacking" Spain during the crisis instead of showing support. He also stated that a ruling by Spain's Supreme Court, which prevents immediate pushbacks of those entering by sea, was misrepresented by smugglers.
US President Donald Trump described the migrant crossings into Spain as a "catastrophe" and an "invasion".
Morocco blamed "criminal organisations" for the influx. However, Sánchez described Rabat as a "good ally" and did not blame Morocco.
In response, Spain is extending the border fence of Ceuta out to sea and attaching long lines of orange buoys to the jetty to deter future swimmers. Europe sheltered many refugees in 2015.
Updates
The Spanish government's policy permits undocumented migrants to apply for residence and work permits, a move intended to address labor shortages caused by the nation's aging population. Additionally, experts suggest that Europe's migration debate is increasingly driven by competing political narratives rather than the actual movement of people, shaped by structural forces such as demographic pressures in North Africa and social media-amplified smuggling networks.
The Spanish government's current policy permits undocumented migrants to apply for residence and work permits, a decision driven by the nation's need for workers due to its ageing population. Additionally, Camille Le Coz from the Migration Policy Institute Europe identifies North African demographic pressures, European labour shortages, and social media-amplified smuggling networks as the primary structural forces shaping these migration patterns.
The Spanish government's policy permits undocumented migrants to apply for residence and work permits to address the country's labor shortages caused by an aging population. Additionally, Camille Le Coz from the Migration Policy Institute Europe identifies demographic pressures in North Africa and social media-amplified smuggling networks as key structural forces shaping migration patterns.
The Spanish government's policy currently enables undocumented migrants to apply for residence and work permits, a move driven by the nation's need for workers due to its ageing population. Additionally, experts suggest that the ongoing European migration debate is frequently shaped more by competing political narratives than by actual movement patterns, influenced by structural forces such as demographic pressures in North Africa and labour shortages in Europe.
The Spanish government's policy permits undocumented migrants to apply for residence and work permits to address the nation's labor shortages caused by an aging population. Additionally, Camille Le Coz of the Migration Policy Institute Europe identifies demographic pressures in North Africa and social media-amplified smuggling networks as key structural forces driving migration.
European Union interior ministers have scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, August 4, to address the crisis. Meanwhile, Denmark and Finland have signaled their support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area. Additionally, EPP President Manfred Weber has demanded that the Spanish government perform a 'virage à 180 degrés' regarding its migration policy.
EU interior ministers have scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, August 4, to address the crisis, amid calls from EPP President Manfred Weber for Spain to make a 180-degree turn on its migration policy. Meanwhile, Denmark and Finland have expressed support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area. Additionally, disputed reports suggest the death toll from the crisis has reached 70 people, primarily due to drowning or being crushed.
European Union interior ministers have scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, August 4, to address the crisis, while Denmark and Finland have reportedly expressed support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area. Meanwhile, conflicting reports have emerged regarding the death toll, with disputed claims suggesting 70 people died due to drowning or being crushed. Additionally, Manfred Weber, president of the European People's Party, has called on the Spanish government to perform a '180-degree turn' on its current migration policy.
EU interior ministers have scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, August 4, to address the crisis, amid calls from the European People's Party president for Spain to make a 180-degree turn in its migration policy. Meanwhile, Denmark and Finland have expressed support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area. Conflicting reports also emerged regarding the death toll, with disputed claims that the number of victims has reached 70 people.
European Union interior ministers have scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, August 4, to address the crisis, while Denmark and Finland have voiced support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area. Additionally, Manfred Weber, president of the European People's Party, has called for a total reversal in Spain's migration policy. Meanwhile, disputed reports suggest the death toll from the crisis has reached 70 people due to drowning or being crushed.
EU interior ministers have scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, August 4, to discuss the crisis, amid growing political pressure. Denmark and Finland have expressed support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area, while Manfred Weber of the EPP has called for a sudden 180-degree turn in Spanish migration policy. Additionally, disputed reports suggest the death toll in Ceuta has reached 70 people, primarily due to drowning or being crushed.
European Union interior ministers have scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, August 4, to discuss the crisis, amid reports that approximately 50,000 irregular migrants reached Ceuta before being returned to Morocco. While some sources dispute the death toll reaching 70 people, Denmark and Finland have signaled support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area. Furthermore, the US State Department has claimed that Spain's migration policies endanger European security, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defended his administration by noting that Spain faced only about half the irregular entries recorded by Italy between 2021 and
European Union interior ministers have scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, August 4, to address the crisis. Amidst the tension, Denmark and Finland have expressed support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area, while Manfred Weber of the EPP has called for a wholesale reversal of Spain's migration policy. Additionally, reports indicate approximately 50,000 irregular migrants reached Ceuta, though the Spanish government and the European Commission confirmed that no 'forward crossings' to mainland Spain occurred.
EU interior ministers have scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, August 4, to discuss the crisis, while Denmark and Finland have voiced support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area. Meanwhile, although some reports dispute the figure, claims have emerged that the death toll from the crisis reached 70 people, mostly due to drowning or being crushed. Additionally, approximately 50,000 irregular migrants reached Ceuta, though the Spanish government and the European Commission confirmed that almost all were returned to Morocco within 24 hours with no 'forward crossings' to mainland Spain.
EU interior ministers have scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, August 4, to address the crisis, while Denmark and Finland have expressed support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area. Amidst these tensions, reports indicate that approximately 50,000 irregular migrants reached Ceuta, though the Spanish government and the European Commission confirmed that there were no 'forward crossings' to mainland Spain. Additionally, disputed claims suggest the death toll has reached 70 people, mostly due to drowning or being crushed.
European Union interior ministers held an emergency videoconference on August 4, 2026, where they unanimously expressed deep solidarity with Spain, despite Commissioner Magnus Brunner noting that the crisis tested the EU's capacity to resist disinformation and act quickly. While some reports disputed the death toll and total numbers, one source claimed 72,000 people arrived from Morocco in Ceuta within a 48-hour period during July 30 and 31. Amidst the crisis, Denmark and Finland supported Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area.
European Union interior ministers held an emergency videoconference on August 4, 2026, where they unanimously expressed deep solidarity with Spain during the crisis. Commissioner Magnus Brunner noted that the situation tested the EU's capacity for action and resistance to disinformation, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized the leaders who called for the meeting as acting in a 'selfish, polarizing, and unlawful' manner. Additionally, while some reports disputed death tolls, others claimed a total of 72,000 people arrived from Morocco in Ceuta within the 48-hour period of July 30 and 31.
European Union interior ministers held an emergency videoconference on August 4, 2026, where they unanimously expressed deep solidarity with Spain. EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner stated that the crisis has tested the Union's speed of action, solidarity, and capacity to resist disinformation. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has characterized the surge as an 'attack and violation of his country's territorial integrity' and criticized EU leaders who called for the meeting as acting in a 'selfish, polarizing, and unlawful' manner.
European Union interior ministers held an emergency videoconference on August 4, 2026, where they unanimously expressed deep solidarity with Spain regarding the Ceuta crisis. While some leaders previously called for tensions to rise, Commissioner Magnus Brunner noted that the situation has tested the EU's speed of action and capacity to resist disinformation. Amidst these developments, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez characterized the sudden surge in irregular migration as an 'attack and violation of his country's territorial integrity.'
The number of migrants who crossed into Ceuta within 48 hours on July 30–31, 2026, was confirmed at 72,000 — a sharp increase from earlier estimates — and while Spain and the European Commission verified no forward crossings to mainland Spain, EU interior ministers held a three-hour videoconference on August 4 and unanimously expressed deep solidarity with Spain, contradicting earlier reports of division and calls for Schengen suspension.
The death toll from the Ceuta migrant crisis was initially unconfirmed, but new reports now state that at least 88 people drowned within 48 hours during the crossings on July 30–31, 2026 — a figure that contradicts earlier claims of 70 deaths; simultaneously, the EU interior ministers’ emergency videoconference on August 4 ended with unanimous solidarity expressed toward Spain, reversing earlier calls from Denmark, Finland, and Italy to suspend Spain from Schengen.
Following the mass crossing on July 30–31, 2026, authorities confirmed that approximately 72,000 people arrived in Ceuta within 48 hours — a dramatic increase from earlier estimates — while the Spanish government and European Commission reiterated that no forward crossings to mainland Spain occurred, and EU interior ministers held a videoconference on August 4, unanimously expressing solidarity with Spain despite prior calls for sanctions.
Following the surge of approximately 72,000 migrants into Ceuta over 48 hours on July 30–31, 2026, the European Union’s 27 interior ministers held a three-hour videoconference on August 4 and unanimously expressed deep solidarity with Spain, contradicting earlier reports of calls to suspend Spain from Schengen; meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected claims that his regularization policy — which had already closed by mid-April — triggered the crisis, citing data showing Spain faced half the irregular entries of Italy between 2021 and 2026, while the EU Commission confirmed no forward crossings to mainland Spain occurred.
Following the crisis, Spain's Supreme Court ruled that migrants arriving by sea cannot be immediately pushed back due to the absence of physical maritime border elements — a legal distinction that contradicts the 22 EU leaders' claim that Spain's regularization policy acted as a 'pull factor,' while the European Commission and Spanish authorities confirmed no forward crossings to mainland Spain occurred, and the emergency EU interior ministers' meeting on August 4 ended with unanimous solidarity expressed toward Spain, despite Denmark and Finland backing Meloni's Schengen suspension proposal.
Following the mass crossing on July 30–31, 2026, Spanish authorities confirmed that approximately 72,000 migrants arrived in Ceuta within 48 hours — a sharp increase from earlier estimates — with nearly all returned to Morocco within a day, while the European Commission and Spain jointly verified no forward crossings into the Schengen zone occurred; this figure supersedes prior unverified claims of 50,000 or 70,000.
Following the mass crossing on July 30–31, 2026, Spanish authorities confirmed that approximately 72,000 migrants arrived in Ceuta within 48 hours — a sharp increase from earlier estimates — and nearly all were returned to Morocco within a day, with no forward crossings into mainland Spain; this figure supersedes the previously reported 50,000 and fuels renewed debate over whether the influx was a deliberate geopolitical maneuver by Morocco, as Spain claims, or a spontaneous surge driven by economic desperation and social unrest.
The European Union's 27 interior ministers, in a three-hour videoconference on August 4, unanimously expressed deep solidarity with Spain — contradicting earlier claims by Denmark, Finland, and Italy that Spain should be suspended from Schengen, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected the 22 EU leaders' letter accusing his migration policy of causing the crisis as 'selfish, polarizing, and unlawful.'
