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Ceuta border breach
Spain deployed its military to restore order at its border with Morocco in Ceuta after thousands of migrants streamed into the tiny Spanish territory, with at least nine dying in the attempt.
“Spain will deploy its military to restore order at its border with Morocco in Ceuta after thousands of migrants streamed into the tiny Spanish territory, with at least nine dying”
Spain’s government said Thursday evening it would send the Armed Forces to help the Civil Guard "maintain security in the city of Ceuta," and it also announced that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez would join Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in a visit to Ceuta on Friday.
Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Spain’s Civil Guard officers who police the border in Ceuta, said, "The situation is absolute chaos," adding that "It's not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing," and that the border had "totally collapsed."
The escalation came after a surge in migrants attempting to reach Ceuta mainly by swimming, and video footage showed crowds walking around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach onto local roads.
Morocco’s Interior Ministry said the Moroccan government was "closely cooperating" with Spain to handle the situation and that Moroccan police are stopping "numerous people" who are trying to cross the border.
Emergency request denied
Ceuta’s president Juan Jesús Vivas formally requested that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declare a national emergency to help respond to the border crisis, but Madrid denied the request.
Spain’s Ministry of the Interior said, "it is not possible to activate this mechanism, as requested by the president of the Government of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas," explaining that civil protection regulations do not consider migratory flows as a risk to the National Civil Protection System.
In a post on X, Sánchez wrote, "We are mobilizing all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normalcy as soon as possible," while the Associated Press reported that Spain’s Interior Ministry said it would deploy the Armed Forces to help the Civil Guard.
The Guardian reported that on Thursday evening Spain’s interior ministry announced that 60 members of the armed forces would be deployed to Ceuta, along with an additional 30 Guardia Civil officers.
The Guardian also quoted Rachid Sbihi saying, "It’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing," and added that he said the border had "totally collapsed."
Political fallout and stakes
The crisis triggered political pressure beyond Spain, with Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani calling for the closure of the Schengen area to Spain, arguing that "irregular and uncontrolled immigration poses a threat to national security."
“"irregular and uncontrolled immigration poses a threat to national security"”
Euronews reported that Tajani’s comments were followed by Spain summoning the Italian ambassador over what it called his "inappropriate" comments, and it said Italian PM Giorgia Meloni echoed Tajani by saying Rome was ready to take "extraordinary measures" including through the "suspension of the Schengen area with Spain."
Euronews also said the European Commissioner for Migration, Austria's Magnus Brunner, was in constant contact with Spanish authorities and stressed that protecting the EU's external borders remains "a crucial part of our efforts to fight illegal migration," while the European Commission offered operational support through Frontex.
In Spain, the opposition People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said the situation was desperate and that the government "can’t look the other way, because we are facing a national security crisis," and the far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal described the incident as an "invasion."
The Guardian framed the immediate operational response as Spain deploying extra troops and police to Ceuta after thousands of people swam and waded into the territory, while it cited a government spokesperson saying nine bodies had been recovered.
