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Ceuta surge and deaths
Tens of thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain’s Ceuta exclave after the influx “triggered chaos” in the North African city, with Ceuta’s president Juan Jesús Vivas putting the number at 60,000 and Spain’s Interior Ministry estimating that some 50,000 people had entered Ceuta from Morocco since Thursday.
“At least 57 migrants died on the journey.”
AP reported that “At least 57 migrants died on the journey,” describing deaths from drowning and a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier near a border checkpoint at Tarajal Beach.
AP said Spain deployed its armed forces and additional police to restore order in Ceuta, while on the Moroccan side of the border security forces clashed with migrants.
The Associated Press also reported that migrants swam “several miles through the sea” and faced down authorities who tried to turn them back with water cannons, tear gas and warning shots.
NBC News similarly described the rush as “a violation of Spain’s territorial sovereignty,” quoting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez after the border crisis as political shock waves spread across Europe.
Europe reacts and disputes
Ceuta’s president Juan Jesús Vivas told journalists, “The situation that Ceuta is going through is absolutely unsustainable,” as Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the border breach as “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.”
AP said the chaos had ripple effects abroad, with Italy and France pledging to tighten their controls on people arriving from Spain, while NBC News reported that Italy said it was temporarily suspending free movement and passport-free travel arrangements for flights from Spain.
NBC News quoted Vice President JD Vance calling the scenes an “unfortunate reminder of the consequences of mass migration and the radical left-wing globalist policies,” and it also reported that Trump called the situation “terrible.”
Euronews reported that Spanish authorities would try to expel those who had entered illegally as quickly as possible despite a court ruling that put restrictions on special “border rejection” rules that allow immediate expulsions.
In a separate line of European response, France 24 said French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told reporters that he had “given instructions yesterday evening to immediately step up controls at the Spanish border,” and it described Spain deploying military to reinforce the Civil Guard and help maintain security.
Returns, Schengen, and next steps
AP reported that tens of thousands of migrants voluntarily left after crossing into Spanish territory of Ceuta, with Spain saying “48,300 had already returned to Morocco by Friday evening,” and it described hundreds more going back by the hour.
“48,300 had already returned to Morocco by Friday evening”
AP said Spain’s Interior Ministry released figures shortly after Vivas spoke, estimating that some 50,000 people had crossed from Morocco since Thursday, and it described Moroccan police using water cannons and firing warning shots to prevent migrants from crossing into Ceuta.
Euronews reported that Italy called for Spain to be suspended from Europe’s open-borders Schengen zone, prompting Spain to summon Italy’s ambassador, while La Voz de Galicia said Italy suspended the Schengen agreement with Spain unilaterally.
France 24 stated that “More than 25,000 migrants have voluntarily returned to Morocco,” and it added that at least 34 people had died while trying to cross the border, with many appearing to have drowned or been crushed to death in a stampede at Tarajal beach.
In Spain’s immediate operational response, AP quoted Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas saying the situation was “absolutely unsustainable,” while NBC News described Spain deploying its military along the coast and roads to control crowds as the government sought to contain the crisis.
